What Else?
by Amanda'sArmada
Summary: Picks up the moment Institutional Memory cut out. C.J./Danny and where they go from there - predominantly them, but other characters make regular appearances. Please note: some chapters may contain explicit content! (Individual chapter ratings will be listed with author's notes.)
1. What Else?

"**What Else?"**

**Author:** AmandasArmada

**Author's Note:** This is my first fanfiction in about 7 years, and since I was 13-15 when I used to write that fic, it was all awful of course and I'm anxious about writing again so BE NICE MISSIES.

**Summary:** CJ/Danny, picks up from the cliffhanger at "Institutional Memory."

**Rating:** T, eventually M because I'm a giant pervert.

* * *

**Tuesday, January 9th, 2007**

It was a moment for brave gestures.

Over the past 8 years especially, C.J. Cregg had become a connoisseur at faking bravery. She was bold and strong and when someone threw something at her, she caught it deftly and hurled it right back at them. That was who she'd become.

C.J. would have thought she'd feel steadier, flanked by multiple secret service agents and armed with the ability to make grown men cry, but mostly she just felt anxious and embarrassed and ashamed. Which was stupid, of course, because she was _brave_ goddamnit, and Danny was a puppy who gazed at her adoringly and wanted to jump off a cliff with her – but it was also emphatically not stupid, because her prancing around trying to be the Tough Unshakable C.J. Cregg, the one always calling the shots, had backfired phenomenally and she wouldn't really blame him for closing the door on her.

She could feel the tears forming, and she hugged her arms closer, emotionally exhausted by the day's events. She was terrified, and she was tired, and all she wanted was to fix this. A wave of nausea ran over her.

She didn't know what Danny was going to say, or even what exactly she was going to say, and she was preparing herself for the worst. Because really, what were the chances? Seven years of waiting just to have to put up with her mess? She was good at an enormous variety of things, but she was not good at this – she could flirt and laugh and feel good with the best of them, but she hadn't been able to trust herself to succumb to this out-of-control serious commitment he wanted from her. She was cranky and stressed and she didn't know how to do it. No, she was not good at this, not at _all_, and Danny should pick up and deal with it, because he deserved better and she wasn't going to give it.

She was being an idiot.

C.J. took a deep breath, and knocked.

* * *

The disappointed, hurt look on Danny's face when he opened the door was enough to make her want to curl up into a ball.

She had to face this, because if there was even a chance of making this work, she had to jump on it.

She had no idea how to fix this.

All she could do was try.

* * *

"What else?"

C.J. looked at him, her mind darting – as it always seemed to do, whenever she was near him, and he was looking at her like that – trying to find something tangible she knew how to deal with. "The typo's a comma. Or maybe a smudge. It changes the meaning," she said in a weak bid for time to gather her thoughts.

"C.J." Danny was patient, but he was tired, and he was scared, even if she knew he was trying to be brave for her.

"Okay." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was it. Soul-baring time. Future-deciding time.

"I'm not very good at this. We covered that. And I didn't really, truly, let myself prepare for it, or anything beyond telling you 'I'm not good at this', because I didn't want to think you were going to want me to keep going – and then if you _didn't - _" C.J. stopped. "I didn't prepare for this."

Danny continued to gaze at her steadily. "I think you'll find I'm a pretty patient guy," he quipped. C.J. allowed him a small smile.

"I know this is a time for - heroic postures," C.J. quoted. "But this isn't my forte, so I'm going to babble here for a bit, because that's something I have a lot of experience with. And you have – a _habit_ of knocking me off my feet, as it is, so that's not really helping things. So – God." She wiped a tear from her cheek, and Danny took a step towards her, but she raised a hand to stop him. "I need a minute," she said urgently. "Just a moment, of - comfortable familiarity with the awkwardness that is my brain, before I jump into the deep end and say what I want to say." Danny sighed, but he was smiling. It steadied her.

"Listen – C.J...I know we have a lot to figure out. But I'm not looking for us to come up with a five-year game plan on the future of our relationship here. You can breathe."

"I know," C.J. said softly.

"We're gonna work it all out, and I'm not worried. I just need to know what's going on in that head of yours. I have to _know_ that this isn't one-sided here - that this _means something_ to you, because it means a hell of a lot to me. Just talk to me. We'll build from there." Danny reached forward, taking her hand, and C.J. found she'd gotten some of her footing back. "We're going to be okay. Just breathe."

C.J. sighed. "Here, why don't we sit down?" She looked around, feeling her heartbeat settling back to normal a little. She could do this. He'd waited for her. She could give something back. She had a lot of love to give, even if she didn't quite know how to give it. "If we're going to have some big heart-to-heart, we should probably be-"

Danny cut her off, nodding, and led her over to his couch, where they sat facing each other, knees touching. Danny leaned forward, and she felt a painful throb in her chest at the memory of the look he'd had on his face that afternoon. It'd been her fault. She'd almost fucked up everything, and the ball was in her court to fix it. Danny was being patient with her, but this was her time to show him she could play for real, if she could just get her head in the game.

"So what's in that gorgeous head of yours, C.J.?" Danny rasped. She could smell a trace of scotch on his breath, but his gaze was steady.

C.J. looked at him, straight in the eye. "I'm crazy about you, Danny."

Danny's face broke into what was possibly the most genuine smile she had ever seen. She pressed on, not wanting to get distracted.

"Stupid crazy. Absolutely gaga. But you _know_ that. You know that, because I've been in your bed more nights than not these past few months, including the nights I got three hours sleep the night before but all I wanted was to look into your face before I fell asleep. You know it from the way I look at you, and the way I stumble when you're near me, and drop things, and when you smile I smile back even when I'm _so annoyed_ with you, and you make me crazy. And I want to be with you. I do."

Danny was grinning, his teeth shining through under his soft lips.

"But here's the thing. Sometimes I feel like I can do this, and it's great. You smile at me, and we hold hands, and I'm C.J. and I'm steady and everything's good. But then – you _look_ at me – like THAT-" C.J. snapped, "and it's so much and it's overwhelming, and my stomach clenches and I get so incredibly nervous, and I'm a mess. And I'm trying to get myself together, I am - because I want it all with you," she paused. "I really do, and I think we _could _have it all, but I have _no_ idea how to even begin getting from here to there."

"C.J." He took her hand. "We're gonna figure this out. We don't have to resolve everything this second. Just breathe." C.J. sighed, looking up at him from under her long lashes. "Literally all you have to say is – ALL you have to say – is that you'll let me in. Just be OPEN to the idea of being open with me."

C.J. laughed a little. "I can do that," she breathed. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Danny's scotch was looking mighty tempting right now. She could have used a little liquid courage. She could do what he was asking, though. She could do more than that.

"I know ya can." Danny smiled.

"Danny," she said, trying to keep her voice from cracking. He touched her cheek. "You asked the wrong question." He waited patiently for her to explain, seeing the tears build in her eyes before she pushed them back.

"You asked me if I _saw_ you in my future. Not if I wanted you there." She took a deep breath, trying to find the words. "I haven't been able to picture myself with a future outside spending all my time at the White House for a long time. And I froze. It was stupid, and pathetic, and it was my fault, and I'm sorry." She pushed a tear away, managing a fearful smile smile. "But please don't think it meant I don't care for you. I want you there, I just need you to hang out and hold my hand or whatever while I figure out how to make it happen."

She was staring at him with such intensity. Before he knew what he was doing, he was leaning in, and when their lips touched something inside him broke. Her kisses were urgent and he felt himself responding, leaning her back onto the couch.

Her hands were traveling up his back, and he let out a low groan. She ran one of her hands through his curly hair, using her lips to nip gently at his tongue. Suddenly her coat was on the floor, and he was pushing her deeper into the couch, both of them desperate and hurt and scared.

He wanted to tell her, _now_, but he was scared of overwhelming her, of pushing her away. He settled for letting his eyes probe hers, and something inside him told him she knew anyway.

* * *

Half an hour later C.J. lay sprawled against Danny's naked chest, her face buried in his neck.

"You're beautiful, C.J.," Danny murmured quietly, running his hand over her hair with one hand, and stroking her back with the other. C.J. smiled, her eyes closed, and kissed his neck.

"We should talk more about what's gonna happen," C.J. murmured, pulling her head up to look at him.

"We should. I had a thought on that."

"Oh yeah?" C.J. yawned.

"Yeah. Well - and cut me off if you think I'm off track here," Danny paused. "But you've got some time. You don't have to jump into Franklin Hollis's project the moment you take your last step out of the White House." He traced a finger along her face, gazing at her. "So I say you stick around – take some time. Try to take it easy. Consult with Santos's team when you have to, I'm sure they'll need you - probably more frequently and for longer then I'd like - but that's what I signed up for. But for the most part, we use that time to just – work on getting to be with each other. No pressure. But I'll take you on dates – make dinner for you – just...work on catching up on eight years' worth of wanting to dote on you. And you _let me_." Danny took a deep breath. "Whadya think?"

"Hmm," C.J. said noncommittally.

"You don't like it?"

"The thing is – I'm not sure that plan is going to work for me," C.J. said quietly, looking up at him from under her long lashes, and he had to take a second to catch his breath.

"Why? What are you thinking?"

"Well, here's the thing," C.J. said, and the nervousness in her voice faltered as she gained confidence. "I have a feeling that if I turn down Santos, but stay in D.C. for so much as a _day_ longer than I need to, I'm going to find myself sitting in the Oval Office on a consultation January 21st whether I want to or not. Before we know it they'll be daily, and I'll end up working there unofficially, conned into some deep involvement in ongoing situations that will take months to resolve themselves."

Danny bit his lip, the truth of her words hitting him. He started stroking her hair, the look on his face concerned. He wanted so much to do this thing for real.

"You got any ideas?"

C.J. stroked his chest absentmindedly, not meeting his gaze. "One. It's kinda bold though, on your end."

"I can do bold," Danny said, smiling.

"'Kinda' was kind of an understatement."

"C.J., nothing is too bold. Dignity isn't my forte, remember?"

C.J. met his eyes. "Did you mean what you said? About not being sure about what you wanted to do with your life?"

Danny watched her, curious. "Yeah. Although I think I've got some idea, on the personal end at least."

C.J. smiled as Danny kissed her forehead.

"How do you feel about L.A.?"

Danny grinned widely at her. "You asking me to move to L.A. with you?"

"Do you want to?" C.J. asked.

"Yeah," Danny breathed, smiling. C.J. grinned.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Danny repeated, grinning, then laughed. "Although getting set up in L.A. in under two weeks is going to be a challenge, even for me." He didn't seem worried though, and in fact he was smiling as he leaned in for another kiss.

"Sam has an empty condo. He was talking about wanting to lease it out. I'm sure I can get him to let us stay there for awhile, give us time to settle in."

Danny's hands started wandering as the implication of what she was saying started to sink in, his lips traveling down her neck.

CJ took a deep breath, grinning broadly and laughing again, almost giddy. She was getting it. Everything she wanted. He was going to put up with her – he'd committed himself, he was _stuck_ with her. And she owed him more than what he'd been getting. It hadn't been her fault, at least not entirely, but she could have done better, and as she stood there looking into his face, the memory of his stricken face that afternoon resurfaced again, and C.J. Cregg made her decision for good.

Danny watched her, a little smile growing across his features as her words continued to click in his brain.

She was already sorting out the details in her head. "I could hire some movers for us, they could take care of the packing while I finish up these next couple weeks. That is, if you don't mind sitting up by the fire for a little while longer, waiting for my-" she smirked at him. "Booty calls, as you so charmingly put it this morning." He leaned in, kissing her seductively. "You could go a little early, get things set up. If you wanted to, I mean – I know you've got a job too-" she started to sound nervous again, and Danny cut her off, his hands on her face as he swept her into a kiss, deep and passionate and leaving her with butterflies flapping away inside her stomach.

C.J. smiled at him when they finally pulled away, giggling a little in her excitement. "Does that mean you wanna run away together?" she joked happily.

Danny grinned, wrapping his arms around her. "I really, really do."


	2. Girl Talk and Secret Messages

**What Else?**

**Chapter 2:** "Girl Talk and Secret Messages"

**Author: **amandasarmada

**Rating:** T

**Summary:** Takes place a few days after Institutional Memory. C.J./Danny.

* * *

**Friday, January 12th, 2007**

A few minutes after eleven C.J. entered Danny's apartment, her secret service detail nodding their good-byes as they stepped away. The morning after they'd decided to move to California she'd found a key waiting for her next to the coffee mug Danny had started leaving out for her, and she'd been taking advantage of it every day since.

"Danny?" Her voice drifted curiously through the apartment.

"In here," he called back, and she followed it into the second bedroom Danny had converted into a home office.

"Hey," he said, glancing up at her and smiling from his spot behind his note-strewn desk, his fingers poised on the keyboard. She strolled over, bending down to plant a kiss on him.

"How was your day?" Danny asked casually, looking back at the screen.

"Brutal. Fun though," C.J. said smiling. "I pissed off several old white Republican men, so I'd consider it a productive day."

"That's my girl."

"By the way," C.J. said, her voice betraying the forced casualness. "I thought maybe, since I was planning on spending the night here until you leave – if that's okay with you, I mean - I should just bring a bunch of outfits over. Leave some stuff here. Do you think there's room in your closet for me to keep them here? I figured since you'd already started packing..."

Danny stared at her from his computer, then stood abruptly, catching her off-guard.

"I just thought it made sense, keeping some of my stuff here," C.J. began uncertainly.

"Come on," Danny said eagerly, pulling her by the hand into the hall and across to his bedroom. She watched as he slid open his closet door, then pushed his suit jackets over to one side. "And here – I already started making room for you to have a drawer." He opened his dresser, and she saw that it did indeed have only a couple sweaters left in one of the drawers. "I was working on it last week, before we knew about California. I got distracted while I was doing it, but-" he picked up the neatly folded shirts, carrying them over and placing them on the upper shelf of his closet. "I was getting tired of tripping over your overnight bag," Danny explained, trying to sound light. "You just let me know, whatever space you need. We'll make it happen."

C.J. grinned at him, walking forward and kissing him again. This one was longer, and his arms wrapped around her, before he lifted one hand to set on the side of her face, his other drifting down to take her hand.

"Hmmm," C.J. sighed, smiling as they broke away.

"Hey Danny?" She breathed a moment later.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for the key."

Danny lowered his right hand back down to wrap her more closely into his arms, kissing her until they started making their way over to the bed.

"Not a problem."

* * *

**Sunday, January 14th, 2007**

C.J. rolled sleepily over in her bed, still disoriented, and felt her body brush up against the man beside her.

"Good morning," Danny murmured, bending his head to plant a kiss on her forehead. C.J. opened her eyes slowly, drowsy. She smiled.

"G'morning," she replied, pushing forward to kiss him lightly. "What time is it?"

"Five forty-five."

C.J. sighed, sitting up and stretching. "I'm gonna hop in the shower. You can join me if you want, but keep in mind it takes me twenty minutes just to blow-dry my hair and I need to be out of here in an hour."

Danny bolted up, following her into the bathroom in his pajamas. She giggled as she turned to face him, and he kissed her happily, helping her take her camisole off and dropping it on the floor. She tugged insistently at his sweatpants, and he stepped out of them seamlessly. C.J. laughed at the sight of him in his boxers and Notre Dame sweatshirt, helping him pull it off as he pulled the boxers she'd borrowed off her lanky frame.

"I'm really gonna get used to this," C.J. murmured, pressing her body against his.

"I don't think I ever will," Danny whispered back honestly. She smiled, pulling away for a moment so she could get the water going.

* * *

A little over half an hour later C.J. was sitting at Danny's kitchen table, Danny's bathrobe hanging loosely off her narrow frame, the top of a fresh camisole just visible underneath.

"So what's the plan for today?" Danny inquired, reaching across the table to hand her a plate of scones before seating himself across from her.

"It's a light day, actually. Paperwork in the morning, then I have to turn down more job offers from some more persistent bidders, who seem to be less familiar than most normal adults with the word 'no'." C.J. stood, taking a few steps to get a glimpse of herself in the mirror in the next room. "Then I have a meeting with Josh at eleven. He wants me to go over some documents with him and consult with Vinick, give him a rundown on some policy initiatives I'd set in motion. I don't think it'll take more than an hour," she assured him, correctly interpreting the glimmer of concern on his face.

"Okay," Danny replied complacently. "Did you want to grab lunch afterwards? I'll do you one better than a hot dog vendor this time." Danny was smiling lightly, but C.J. winced at the memory.

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie. I have plans with Kate afterward, we're going to grab a coffee," C.J. explained apologetically, rummaging around as she spoke, trying to get ready.

"More work stuff?" Danny asked – his tone was casual, but there was a definite strain there.

"No," C.J. said smugly. "We're going to sit around and gossip about you. I told her about California. We're hoping my afternoon stays free for a couple hours, we want to maybe do some shopping if neither of us is called away."

"You're going to be talking about me?" Danny repeated, a hint of wonder in his voice.

"You don't think I can do Girl Talk?"

Danny smiled. "I don't think there's much you can't do. Okay – well, have fun then." He felt at ease. He was pretty sure Kate liked him, from the little interaction they'd had, and he privately thought any inclination C.J. had to talk about her feelings was a good thing.

"I'll try not to be home too late. Maybe eight or nine, depending on what comes up," C.J. said, a twinge of worry in her voice. "Sorry about lunch – Kate and I've gotten to be friends, and I want to spend some time with her before we leave. I'm hoping to get with Donna and Carol at some point in the next few days too," she added.

"There's no need to explain. You ladies enjoy yourselves," Danny said softly, holding a scone up to his mouth to try to hide his smile.

"Do you think you can cut out early tonight? I know there's a lot to cover right now, but-"

"I'm going to try to make it home by nine," Danny reassured her. "I'll need some time tonight to finish packing, but I think we can squeeze in some quality time."

"Good," C.J. said, coming up to him for a kiss. "I'm gonna miss you."

"It'll only be a few days," Danny said smiling, but he let himself sink into her kiss as he leaned across, knowing that this time tomorrow he wouldn't be able to.

"So I'll see you back here around nine?" C.J. asked breathlessly, trying to hide the grin breaking out and feeling the sparks rush through her.

"Sure," Danny said easily, watching her get up and put the plate in the sink with a matching smile on his face.

She either hadn't realized it, or she was pretending not to, but either way, Danny had. She'd called his place "home."

Maybe it was just thoughtless slip, maybe it didn't mean much - but it meant something.

* * *

_That afternoon._

* * *

"So, this guy – he must really be somethin'."

C.J. sipped her coffee, faltering a bit under Kate's well-honed stare.

"He's...great. Danny and I have known each other a long time," C.J. remarked, a little smile easing the lines on her tired face.

"And?" Kate pressed, hearing the catch in her voice.

"And that makes things really complicated," C.J. said earnestly. "I don't want to rush things, but it's really hard not to - you know - be swept away by him. Especially given our circumstances. We've been wanting to get together for _eight years_. It'd trip anyone up. And he's charming, and so _good_ at this stuff, and I...care about him...a lot."

"Why don't you want to rush things?" Kate asked, looking up at her as she sipped at her straw.

"You don't really – get it," C.J. said diplomatically. "You've been married. I've lived with a guy exactly once, and it was for six months and in college. It doesn't really count as a grown-up, serious relationship. 'Dinner' usually consisted of eating cereal out of the box."

"Oh, Ceej," Kate laughed, nibbling on a fry. "It doesn't get any easier, really. I'd be anxious about living with a guy too, and I've been married twice. But at some point, you just have to kind of...take the leap. I've watched you guys together. He's _nuts_ about you," Kate said earnestly. "And I asked around about him, everyone says he's a really good guy. You've known him for years. You trust him, right?"

"Yeah, absolutely," C.J. declared, knowing the answer without having to think about it.

"Do you love him?" Kate asked bluntly.

C.J. fixed her eyes on her plate. "Ah." She paused. "Well. I haven't told him."

"That wasn't an answer." Kate laughed lightly to soften her words.

C.J. sighed, looking somewhat uneasily around the diner. "Don't tell anyone."

"I'll guard it like a state secret," Kate said dryly.

C.J. gave her a Look, but it slipped back into the small smile.

"C.J.?"

"Yeah," C.J. replied heavily.

"If you love him, you should tell him," Kate said gently. "He's earned it."

* * *

The conversation had lightened considerably since lunch, to C.J.'s slight relief. They were strolling through a department store that had gradually become C.J.'s favorite spot for retail therapy over the years, in part due to its relative proximity to the White House.

"This would look amazing on you," Kate persuaded, pausing and pulling a sheer blue number C.J. would have had to be brave to go for even when she was in college.

"Oh my god, Kate," C.J. laughed. "Here, you should try this one," she said dismissively, holding up a little red dress for Kate to inspect.

"_Yes_," Kate said approvingly, taking the dress from C.J.. "But no, I'm serious. It's not 'trashy,' it's just...daring. And you could get away with it for pretty much anything, it's not really formal."

"You think? And here I'd been thinking about wearing it to the inauguration."

"You're gonna try this on," Kate said distractedly, putting the blue dress over her arm. She started flipping through the rack again. "So," she continued, her tone changing to business. "_Eight years_ of unresolved sexual tension? That must have been...you know. Pretty explosive when things finally happened."

"Kate!" C.J. exclaimed, laughing.

"What? I work 80 hours a week. I'm feeling vicarious."

C.J. grinned in spite of herself, taking another look at the blue dress.

"It's been...kind of world-shaking, to be honest," C.J. admitted. Kate's eyebrows rose eagerly.

"We've always had amazing chemistry. And when we actually get together..." C.J.'s voice drifted off. "It's good," she finished.

"Good?" Kate pressed.

"Danny's just very...attentive," C.J. said quietly, a blush crawling across her cheeks. She wasn't usually so modest, but she felt flushed again even thinking about it. "And when we're actually touching each other, it's...kind of wonderful," she admitted. "There's _fireworks_. And when he looks at me...I just feel warm all over."

"God, C.J., I wanted sordid details, not a bunch of mush," Kate teased, grinning as C.J.'s blush grew.

"Come on," C.J. said grinning, tugging Kate's arm towards the dressing room.

* * *

_That evening._

* * *

C.J. made it back to Danny's at a quarter to nine, and found him setting the table for dinner. He turned and smiled at her as she entered.

"How'd it go with Kate?"

"Good," C.J. said breezily, setting down the bag containing her picks from the shopping trip that afternoon.

"She convince you to confess your undying love for me?" Danny asked, smiling to himself.

Her face burned, and she turned away with a chuckle, not wanting to give away how close his guess had been.

"What would you do if she did?" C.J. asked lightly.

"Probably take ya in a manly fashion. I'm thinking about doing that anyway though." He came over and planted a kiss on her, pulling away after a minute, grinning.

"I got Italian, that okay?"

"Sure," she said easily. "You need any help with that?"

"Nope. Sit down," Danny smiled, holding a chair for her.

C.J. obliged, looking at him and marveling, first at the realization again that she was going to miss him when they'd be apart for less than a week, and then at the thought of getting to spend almost unlimited time with him afterwards.

"Well, eat up. I've got an early flight tomorrow, and there's some stuff I want to take care of before we go to sleep." Danny grinned at her from across the table.

* * *

_One week later._

* * *

**Friday, January 19, 2007**

**[CJ!] 5:27 PM:**

I sold my car.

**[Danny FishBoy] 8:27 PM:**

Wow!

You excited?

**[CJ!] 5:28 PM:**

A bit sad - it's the end of an era.

**[CJ!] 5:28 PM:**

But yes. I'm counting the hours.

* * *

**Sunday, January 21, 2007**

C.J. rolled out of bed at 5 o'clock, rubbing her eyes. It'd been only a few hours since she'd put her head on the pillow, but thankfully she could count on a long nap on the plane.

After a quick shower she double-checked her carry-on for all the necessities, before tiptoeing into the hall in her robe and slippers, picking up her copy of The Washington Post and carrying it into the kitchen, not noticing the words "SPECIAL EDITION" printed under the header. C.J. munched on a bagel and sipped at her coffee as the started to rifle through it, thinking of Danny and smiling. She skimmed the articles speculating about Bartlet's last few days in office, skipped the sports section entirely, and only then did she notice a small article with the byline "by Danny Concannon" on the Opinion page.

Spreading the paper out, she started reading, curious.

* * *

**OUTGOING CHIEF-OF-STAFF STUNS AT INAUGURAL BALL**

_It's no secret among Washington's elite that C.J. Cregg has a knack for dazzling onlookers at White House functions, and last night proved to be no exception. Over the past eight years, Cregg has earned acclaim not only for her monumental contributions to public policy and her unwavering dedication to improving her country, but also for her ability to captivate a room with her natural good looks and gorgeous apparel. Nevertheless, Cregg outdid herself last night on her last formal occasion as Chief-of-Staff, when she showed up at President Santos's Inaugural Ball decked out in a slinky little black number that perfectly accentuated her amazing figure._

_Reporter Danny Concannon expressed his regret at being unable to attend the event, explaining that he is currently in Los Angeles preparing for Miss Cregg's arrival later today. "I saw photos posted online though, and C.J. looked incredible." It's obvious from talking to the seasoned journalist that he's completely smitten with Miss Cregg. "I'm hoping she lets me see her in it in person sometime soon. She owes me a dance, at any rate. I'm thinking 'The Jackal.'"_

* * *

Laughing, C.J. grabbed her phone, glancing at the time. It was a truly ungodly hour in California. All the better, she thought to herself, smirking.

**[CJ!] 2:32 AM:**

Danny, what on earth is this?!

**[Danny FishBoy] 5:33 AM:**

Whatcha talking about gorgeous?

**[Danny FishBoy] 5:33 AM:**

I'm not awake yet you're gonna have to fill me in

**[Danny FishBoy] 5:34 AM:**

Is there a problem with your flight?!

**[CJ!] 2:34 AM:**

The paper, Danny.

**[Danny FishBoy] 5:35 AM:**

Oh! I had a friend make a special copy for you.

**[Danny FishBoy] 5:35 AM:**

You gonna pack that dress?

C.J. grinned to herself.

**[CJ!] 2:36 AM:**

I'll see what I can do.

**[CJ!] 2:36 AM:**

Go back to sleep. I'll see you this afternoon.

**[CJ!] 2:37 AM:**

You know, you're awfully cute for a nimrod.

**[Danny FishBoy] 5:38 AM:**

ccfii

**[CJ!] 2:38 AM:**

You're already back asleep, aren't you?

...

C.J. smiled, heading into her bedroom for the last time to get ready for the day.


	3. California

**What Else **

**Chapter 3: **California

**Author:** AmandasArmada

**Rating:** T

* * *

**January 21st, 2007**

The first step back onto California ground was surreal, as a still-drowsy C.J. Cregg surveyed the crowd of people around her. After a moment of searching, she spotted him, grinning at her from a mass of people, and she felt her heart skip a beat even as a laugh tumbled from her lips.

Even with her sunglasses on, she could see the subtle sunburn on his face and arms, and she cracked up, unable and unwilling to stop herself. He smiled bashfully, pulling her into a kiss, which promptly stole her laughter as she sunk into it, the first she'd had in almost a week.

Pulling away a minute later she let out another giggle, her voice scolding. "Danny! Why didn't you wear sunscreen?"

"I did!" He said indignantly. "I guess 30 wasn't high enough. It's been awhile now since I was out of DC, I guess I didn't reapply it as much as I should have." He looked a little embarrassed. "Does it look that bad?"

C.J. giggled, taking her sunglasses off. "No. You're adorable," she said, kissing him again. Danny smiled, wrapping his arms around her.

"I missed you."

C.J. smiled, kissing him. "What've you got for me?" She asked, looking down at the small wrapped box in his hands.

"I'll show ya in a minute." Danny said smiling. They headed over to the baggage area, Danny shooing C.J. away as she started to arrange her bulging suitcase to be wheeled with them as they walked. "Let me get this, you can take the carry-on. You deserve a break," he said easily.

Heading towards the parking lot, Danny and C.J. continued to sneak smiles at each other. "How was your flight? Your Ambien still going strong?"

"No, I think the Vitamin D is waking me up actually." C.J. blinked into the sunshine.

"Good. I didn't want to feel guilty about kissing you if you were still drunk on wine and sleeping pills," Danny smirked. "Not the best thing for a guy's ego, either."

C.J. looked around, smiling faintly, feeling the streaks of sunlight warming her arms. "I forgot what it was like, being sunny all the time. It's nice."

"I'll take that as a sign you don't plan on shutting yourself up in an office all day any time soon." Danny smiled at her to soften the words.

"No, I meant what I said," C.J. said somberly, making eye contact. "I'm going to meet with Mattison and start doing some preliminary planning in a couple of weeks, but I'm not stepping foot into an office for at least a month." C.J. let her free hand grasp Danny's. "That reminds me, how's my new assistant been?" Franklin Hollis had provided her with a temporary personal assistant (she would be free to hire her own later, if she wanted to), a young woman named Mattison Wright, to act as a liaison for the Franklin Hollis Foundation, and C.J. knew she'd been working with Danny to get C.J. settled and comfortable.

"You'll like her, she's funny. She's a bit like Margaret, actually – quirky. She's been a big help. Helped me get _this_ set up, actually." Danny stopped walking, and C.J. looked at him. "Time for your present," Danny said cheerfully.

C.J. unwrapped the box carefully, peering inside.

"A key?"

Danny nudged her, and C.J. looked at where they'd stopped. She'd just assumed Danny had found a rental car, but -

"How on earth did you know about this?"

C.J. gaped at the baby blue mustang, a mirror image of her beloved former car. Danny grinned. "I'm an investigative reporter, C.J. I have my ways. I thought it'd help you feel more at home."

"It's _perfect_," C.J. breathed.

She beamed at him, and Danny bashfully lifted her suitcase into the back.

* * *

_An hour later._

* * *

They held hands upon reaching Sam's building in Huntington Beach, Danny leading the way to the elevator and then down the hallway towards the condo. Danny held the door for her, and C.J. grinned, stepping in. Sam had arranged for his stuff to be put in storage, and most of her stuff wasn't due to arrive for almost a week, but Danny had been hard at work making the place habitable. A new queen-size had been bought and assembled, and Danny had moved in some of his own things, although C.J. knew his assistant Maisy was still finishing up helping the movers pack up the rest of his apartment.

"Did you eat lunch on the plane?" Danny inquired, lifting her suitcase onto the bed.

"I was way too out of it - I'm starved," C.J. confessed, sitting down on the bed. Danny leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "You relax," he told her. "I'll go see what I can knock up."

* * *

_That evening._

* * *

Several hours later they sat on pillows in the living room, chowing down on Chinese and lost in laughter. "So poor Annabeth – sweet, bright, chipper, pint-sized Annabeth - is stuck trying to polish _Toby _so he's prepared to charm that herd of hyenas more formally known as your colleagues. And Katie, bless her, asks Toby if the President-" at this point C.J. lost it, her huge grin radiating throughout the room as she laughed. Danny gazed at her, grinning, enraptured, before leaning forward and kissing her.

It was several minutes before they broke apart, C.J. grinning breathlessly. "I feel like we still have so much to catch up on," she said breathily.

"Yeah," Danny nodded, smiling. "We've got plenty of time though," he said, taking her hand.

"You really are the cheesiest bastard I've ever met," C.J. laughed affectionately.

"Eh, just whipped," Danny replied good-naturedly. "Did you want to make it an early night?" he continued. "I know you're still on Eastern time."

"That's so sweet of you," C.J. said, relieved. "If you want we can set up the TV in the bedroom, watch a movie before we fall asleep?"

"You bet!" Danny replied enthusiastically. "I've got a bunch of DVDs here somewhere." He opened a closet and pulled out a box. "What do you feel like? I brought _A Few Good Men_, _The Philadelphia Story - _something called _How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days_, Maisy gave it to me as a joke, I think she said it's about reporters..."

"Let's watch something funny and terrible, that way I don't have to think too hard," C.J. said, picking up the leftovers and putting them in the fridge.

"Your call," Danny said easily, grabbing the DVD and tossing it into the bedroom. "You wanna see me show off?" he asked smiling, picking up the TV.

"Very manly," C.J. mocked lightly.

"You wanna roll in the TV stand?" Danny called over his shoulder.

A minute later he'd set the TV down on the stand, starting to plug in the TV set and the DVD player.

"You sure this is okay? We can watch whatever you want, really-" C.J. began.

"Nah, this is fine! Gimme a minute, I'm gonna make some popcorn. You like butter?"

C.J. nodded, glancing up from where she stood checking her phone for messages.

"Ah," Danny said.

"What?" C.J. said, giving him her full attention.

"Well, I did have a thought for tonight, if you'll humor me."

"Go for it," C.J. said, opening her suitcase.

"Well, uh," Danny looked more than a little reluctant to continue. C.J. raised her eyebrows, then returned her attention to her suitcase. "Danny?"

"Okay. Well, I'm an easy-going guy, and you know I'm not the kind of person to boss ya around," Danny preambled, and C.J. glanced at him as she pulled a slinky nightgown out that temporarily made him lose his train of thought.

"You were saying you're not going to boss me around?" C.J. prompted.

"Right," Danny said, jumping back to attention. "That being said, I have one suggestion, which I'd really really like you to consider tonight." He picked up her phone from where she'd rested it on the bed, waving it a bit. "No alarms tomorrow. You've earned the right to a full 9-hours sleep, and I think the first step in your training is training your body to relax," he said, only half-joking.

"No alarms," C.J. repeated, considering it for a moment then shrugging. Danny grinned, obviously relieved. He took a step towards her, his trademark grin making her melt.

"Tomorrow morning I'm going to bring you breakfast, and you get to observe the beautiful Southern California sunshine from your spot curled up in bed. We have no obligations whatsoever, and I intend to spend the better part of the day making up for lost time," Danny said seductively, nuzzling her neck. C.J. shivered.

Danny smirked to himself, kissing her once more on the cheek before heading into the kitchen for popcorn.


	4. A Series of Unfortunate Interruptions

**Title: **What Else?

**Chapter 4: **A Series of Unfortunate Interruptions

**Author: **AmandasArmada

**Rating:** Strong T

* * *

**January 22nd, 2007**

Years of waking up at the crack of dawn had taken its toll on C.J. Cregg, which was why she wasn't exactly surprised when she rolled over early the next morning and registered the time as reading "4:47 AM." That meant it was actually past 7:30 to her internal clock, which was late for her, but understandable given the lack of any alarm.

"Morning," she said blearily to Danny. "Shhh," he responded, leaning forward and kissing her quickly, not even opening his eyes.

"I can't get back to sleep."

"Yes ya can," Danny murmured, wrapping his arm more tightly around her. "C'mere." He kissed the side of her face gently, tracing down her jawline and the tip of her neck. "Just close your eyes...relax...snore a little..."

"I don't snore!"

"No, of course not," Danny yawned, his eyes still firmly shut. "C'mon Ceej. Shhhhh." He pulled the blanket more snugly over them, shifting in the bed a little as he did so.

C.J. started running her fingers up his chest. "Maybe I could sleep better if you tired me out," she said seductively.

The sound emitted from Danny's throat was halfway between a laugh and a groan. C.J. leaned over to kiss his neck. "Ahhh, C.J."

"Mmhmm," she replied, continuing to kiss his neck, more firmly now, her fingers toying with his chest hair.

"Ooookay," Danny muttered, grinning and opening his eyes. "But you understand we're not getting out of this bed until at least nine, right?"

"Understood," C.J. said softly, still working on his neck, and starting to run her hands over his shoulders. Danny rolled onto his back, bringing C.J. on top of him as she blew gently into his ear. His hand traveled up to cup her breast, the other wrapping around her waist. She brought her face back to his, brushing her lips against his. Danny zoned out for a moment, lost in the sensation of her silky lips and gentle tongue, edging its way into his mouth. Their hands continued to explore, gradually growing more and more urgent.

The familiar sound of Fur Elise blared suddenly through the bedroom, jolting them apart.

"Turn it off," Danny groaned, burying his face in her neck.

"It could be important," C.J. murmured, conflicted.

"They can _handle_ it. And you're supposed to be handling me," Danny pouted.

The song looped, making Danny sigh as he closed his eyes, laying back.

"I got it," C.J. muttered, grabbing for the phone haphazardly as she resumed kissing his neck. She ignored the call without even looking at her phone, dropping it next to them on the bed and gazing at him seductively. "Where were we?"

_DuhduhduhduhduhduhDUHduhDUHduhdudhduhDUH_

"Answer it, get it over with," Danny sighed, feeling acutely aware of certain tense areas of his body.

C.J. grabbed her cell from next to her, staring at the caller ID.

"Donna?"

"Hey C.J.," said the familiar voice, tentative and apologetic.

"You know I'm in California now, right? And it's currently about five in the morning here?" C.J. asked sleepily, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. Danny had rolled out from under her and had pulled a pillow over his head.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Josh really needs your advice on something."

C.J. sat up, rubbing her eyes. "_Josh_ does? Are his fingers broken?" She paused. "I thought you were past the stage where you had to do his dirty work for him."

"He thought you'd be less likely to hang up if it was me."

C.J. groaned. "Donna?"

"Yeah?"

"Has Syria launched nuclear weapons on us?"

"...No, C.J."

"Has President Santos just revealed that he has a debilitating illness that he has kept concealed hitherto now?"

"No, C.J."

"Okay then." C.J. rolled her eyes. "Donna, you know I adore you, but please tell Josh from me to him that unless it is a catastrophe – no, make that a catastrophe my advice could _actively stop_, 'cuz that Syria situation would be a stumper, I gotta tell ya – I am off the grid. There is an entire series of binders designed to help him transition, which I wrote and tailored specifically for him, not to mention whole boxes full of material he can study to give him ideas and guidance. Now-"

"C.J., Josh wants to talk to you himself," Donna interrupted apologetically.

C.J. groaned, hanging up the phone and pulling the battery out.

"Mood's kinda killed now, huh?" Danny asked her good-naturedly, peeping out at her from under his pillow.

"I can't say Josh has ever done much for my libido, no," C.J. replied, curling up next to him and stifling a yawn. "You wanna pick this back up in a couple hours?"

"More than happy to," Danny murmured, cuddling up to her and closing his eyes.

* * *

_That afternoon._

* * *

It was unseasonably warm that day, and C.J. had managed to talk Danny into lounging by the pool, so that early that afternoon, they were stretched out under the sun in the courtyard at the bottom of Sam's building.

"Here, lie back," Danny said smoothly, in a considerably better mood after getting a full night's sleep and spending the morning with her, talking over plans for when the movers arrived.

C.J. stretched out onto her stomach, shivering and giggling as the cold lotion was slathered onto her back. "Blow on it!" she hissed, squealing.

"Sorry. How's that?" Danny breathed into her ear.

C.J. sighed contently, turning over to face him again. "Your turn." Danny stretched out obediently on the pool lounger next to her, and C.J. climbed on, straddling him as she squirted the lotion directly onto his back.

"C.J.!" Danny exclaimed, yelping a little. "Payback's a bitch," C.J. smirked.

"You just wait," Danny said darkly. "I know where you sleep." He pretended to glare at her as he rolled over, wrapping his arms around her as she sunk her body against him.

"This is very very nice," she breathed, leaning in. Danny grinned, kissing her as he let his hands roam up her sides. C.J. sighed happily as he pulled the clip out of her hair, running his fingers through it as they shifted slightly, then feeling him wrap his arms around her. The sun was warm but not hot, the pool area was deserted except for them, and Danny's tongue was pushing any lingering thoughts of Santos's first day in office far from her mind.

"We're going to ignore that," C.J. whispered a second later when the familiar tune filled the air.

"Okay," Danny said softly, his lips enveloping hers.

"I think I could probably get it into the pool from here," C.J. murmured, as the ring persisted merrily.

"Don't give me ideas," Danny grumbled, running his hands over her back as he continued to kiss her.

"I seem to recall you telling me I wasn't the busiest girl in the world anymore," C.J. breathed pointedly a moment later, her eyes smugly reminiscent of the words "I-told-you-so."

"Seems I shouldn't speak just from wishful thinking." Danny nodded to the phone. "Go ahead, I know you want to, it's okay."

C.J. hesitated, then grabbed the phone, finally silencing the infernal ringing.

"Hello?"

"C.J.!" Sam Seaborn's upbeat voice rang out.

"Oh, hey," she replied, sitting up. Danny started rubbing slow circles on her back, leaning forward to kiss her side.

"How's the condo working out?"

"It's great, we're loving it," C.J. said honestly. "Thanks for arranging it for us."

"My pleasure, please, stay as long as you want. You deserve a real vacation before you dive into all the rigmarole of moving."

"Thanks," C.J. smiled, looking down at Danny and playing with his curls. "How's the first day going?"

"Ah, well, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I've got the whole communications staff working with interims, but I'd love to pick your brain more on candidates for a proper press secretary."

C.J. sighed, settling in, shooting Danny an apologetic look. "I'll keep it short, I promise," she whispered to him. He nodded, looking frustrated but understanding. She kissed his cheek quickly, vowing to make it up to him later as she launched into the discussion.

* * *

_Two hours later._

* * *

C.J. hopped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself and padding into the master bedroom, finding Danny laying on the bed, already fully dressed in jeans and a button-up plaid shirt, his hair still damp with Jacuzzi water.

"I was thinking an easy day today," Danny said casually, his eyes betraying his attempt at cheerful nonchalance as they followed C.J.'s progress to the closet. "Sit around, maybe take a drive along the coast later."

"Sounds good," C.J. said, dropping the towel as she faced the closet. Danny choked on the bottle of beer he'd been in the process of sipping from.

"You wanna come help me pick out something to wear?" C.J. asked innocently, looking at him over her shoulder.

Danny quickly rolled off the bed, coming up behind her and gently resting his hands on her waist. "You know, you look great already, don't feel like you have to put anything on at all," he growled into her ear.

C.J. turned around, giving him her toothy grin.

"I'd feel kind of lonely, being the only one with no clothes on," she purred, tracing the buttons on his shirt. He leaned in to kiss her, raising one hand to comb his fingers through her hair.

_DuhduhduhduhduhduhDUHduhDUHduhdudhduhDUH_

They sprung apart, both groaning.

"I'm starting to hate Beethoven," Danny commented, looking over his shoulder towards the direction of the noise.

"Hold on. Subtle hints never really were Josh's strong suit," C.J. muttered, wrapping the towel back around herself and grabbing her phone from the bedside table.

"Hello?" she demanded.

"Hey, C.J. What was with this morning?" Josh's voice was curious, completely oblivious to any hint that he might be interrupting something.

"What do you think, Josh? What's the matter?" C.J. asked impatiently. Danny sighed, sitting down next to her on the bed and running his hand over her shoulder wistfully. C.J. smiled, batting him away.

Josh cleared his throat innocently. "I've got a call with the prime minister of Kazakhastan in less than an hour. I was wondering if you had any advice for me."

C.J. rolled her eyes, pushing a strand of hair behind her ears. "Josh, there is literally a page on every head-of-state I've ever had contact with in one of those binders."

"I know, I read it," Josh said, sounding a little defensive. "I just wanted to know if there was anything you left out, I figured those were more of summaries than actual reports. Besides, I wanted your take on the development this morning in southeast Asia-"

"Josh, you are completely prepared for anything today throws at you. You're a big boy, you don't need me to hold your hand," C.J. interrupted, gently but firmly.

When he replied a moment later, he sounded tired. "You're the best, C.J. I know it, Leo knew it...It's hard not to look to you or wonder what you'd be doing if you were here."

C.J. sighed, allowing herself a small smile. "That's very kind of you, Joshua. But I _have_ to separate myself from this life if I'm going to be able to move on. That was kind of the point of leaving."

Josh sighed, resigned. "Yeah, I guess."

C.J. closed her eyes, thinking. A moment later she opened them, exchanging a quick glance with Danny. Danny nodded, understanding. "I'll tell you what. You get _one_ phone call, 10 minutes or less, or an email every day for the next month. But that's it, Josh. And that goes for anyone in the White House, so pass it on to Sam. You have to pick your battles, Chief."

She heard Josh exhale excitedly. "C.J., you are a goddess. An honest-to-god genius with a heart of gold, and this administration appreciates every moment of your time you're willing to offer," he babbled happily.

C.J. rolled her eyes, smiling. "I think that about covers it. Time to quit while you're ahead."

"Thanks, C.J. I'll call you later, okay? Tomorrow," he added quickly.

"Fine," C.J. smiled. "But I mean it, Josh. I'll change my number if I have to."

"I know, C.J." Josh said, his voice more serious now. "Hey, say hi to Danny for me."

"I'll try to fit that in," C.J. said, mostly to herself, as she hung up and leaned back, laughing as Danny started kissing her bare shoulder.


	5. Redwoods, Stargazing, and Soul-Searching

**What Else?**

**Chapter 5:** Redwoods, Stargazing, and Soul-Searching

**Author:** AmandasArmada

**Rating:** K

* * *

**January 24, 2007**

"So what's the plan for today?" Danny asked, entering the bedroom with a tray laden with eggs, toast, and a blueberry muffin, and setting it down on the nightstand he'd set up next to the bed. C.J. smiled gratefully, kissing him.

"Remind me of the list again?"

Danny laid down next to her on the bed, running through the list in his head. "Catalina Island, the Botanical Gardens...the Nixon Library..."

"Ugh, Danny!" C.J. made a face, laughing.

"-the aquarium, the zoo, Griffith Observatory..."

"The Observatory, wow...You know, they've expanded it since I was last here, I heard it's amazing."

"Observatory it is," Danny smiled.

"Why don't we wait until later in the day though? It's better in the evening, you can get a view of the whole city at sunset."

Danny looked thoughtful, considering. "You feel like giving the new car a real workout?"

"Sure," C.J. shrugged. "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

_A few hours later._

* * *

C.J. was wearing jeans and sneakers for the first time in months, holding hands with Danny as they headed down a path at Carbon Canyon Regional Park. After passing a lake and continuing down a trail into the wooded area, they passed a creek and finally arrived at a grove of trees.

C.J. smiled as Danny inhaled, breathing in the fresh air and woodsy smell. "Wow, these are gorgeous," he muttered. She watched him, not surprised to see him so at home in the outdoors. She turned her attention to the trees, a flash of recognition crossing her mind as she took in the sight.

"Ohh, these are baby redwoods," she murmured, delighted. "They grow into the tallest trees in the world."

"I know," Danny said softly, smiling at her. "I was looking up places to take you. This seemed like just the thing - they're C.J. trees. Tall and beautiful."

C.J. snorted, but blushed. She squeezed his hand, gazing up at one 70-footer, captivated. "Have you ever seen the giant ones up North?"

Danny shook his head, his arm around her shoulders. "Are they much bigger?"

C.J. laughed. "Lots of 'em are over 300 feet. When I was at Berkeley a bunch of us drove up one weekend and visited the forest in Humboldt. There was this one tree – it was still standing, hollowed out, and it was big enough for me to stand inside with my arms stretched out."

"You're kidding," Danny breathed, still gazing at the trees. "We should go see 'em sometime."

C.J. sighed, looking around. "I can't remember the last time I just took a walk through a park."

Danny smiled, squeezing his arm around her tighter as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I told you we were gonna get good at new things."

* * *

_That afternoon._

* * *

They had found a spot by the lake that was perfect for a picnic, and Danny spread out the blanket he'd packed, assembling sandwiches and fruit and chips with a thermos full of juice. C.J. sat awkwardly next to him, looking out over the water and trying to settle her breathing.

"Everything okay?" Danny asked cautiously. C.J. forced a smile, hugging her jacket closer to her. "Yeah, sorry. Just a little tense. My body's still not used to not being pushed seventy miles an hour, thirty-seven hours a day." She tried to joke.

Danny smiled sadly, putting an arm around her. "This okay? I don't want to crowd you," he said hesitantly. She smiled sincerely, settling into him. "It's nice," she said honestly. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to get better."

"It's not a race," he reminded her lightly. "It's kind of counterproductive, don't ya think? Trying to force yourself to relax?"

She cracked a smile at that, breathing in his chest. "I know. I just don't want to disappoint you."

"I don't think you need to worry about that. I'm feeling pretty good these days." He smiled, kissing the top of her head.

She shook her head, breathing deeply. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Danny gazed at her.

"These past couple years...I grew a lot, being Chief of Staff, but I'm not entirely sure it was good for me." C.J. sighed, shivering a little, and he tightened his arm around her. "Do you remember what I said, after our first date? The 'career woman freak automaton' thing?" She gave a weak laugh. "That didn't come out of nowhere, Danny. Some days I barely recognize myself."

Danny looked at her carefully before speaking. "C.J...I get it, I really do. And you've been hurt a lot in the past two years, I'm not denying it. But you've shown how strong and capable you are ten times over, and you're smart enough to realize that it didn't destroy who you are. This tenseness, this exhaustion and disenchantment – it's temporary. We're starting over. You're going to be okay. And I'm going to be here for you no matter what." He kissed her head again, the scent of her perfume calming him as his worry for her faded into the back of his mind.

"I don't understand how you can be so sure," C.J. said quietly.

Danny sighed, tightening his arm around her a little again. "It's easy. I know you. I see you – I watch people, it's what I do, what I've been trained to do. And for some reason, when I watch you, I have a knack for knowing what you're feeling, even when you don't want me to see it. I just get you, C.J." He smiled as he leaned down to rub his nose on her cheek.

C.J. shook her head, still on-edge. She spoke tentatively. "Danny, I'm not the same woman you fell for 8 years ago."

Danny paused at the sudden confession, reading her face. "I know. But you're more like her than you think."

"You sure about that?"

Danny sighed, stroking her hair. "You're still compassionate, C.J. You're still incredibly sensitive and loving – a good friend, a caring person. You stand up for what you believe in. That's all that matters, and being Chief of Staff didn't change that."

She dug her side further into his, sighing. "You really are very charming," she said slowly.

Danny smiled. "I am, aren't I."

She rubbed her fingers together, a nervous habit she'd started doing more frequently in the past several months. "I'm sorry I'm such a mess, though."

"You're doing fine," Danny reassured her.

C.J. looked resigned, stuck on the precipice of an attempt to explain herself.

"Do you remember the second dinner we had? Where we talked about Doug Westin, and you made your romantic speech that I had to run out on because California was facing a state of nuclear meltdown?"

"It rings a bell," Danny said drily.

"Do you remember asking me if I was struggling with trust issues?" Her voice was a little softer. Danny nodded, rubbing his beard. C.J. pushed the hair off her shoulder and onto her back.

"Yeah. Well. You don't know the half of it," C.J. laughed ruefully. "Just think. I was the last member of Senior Staff to be recruited for the President's campaign, but I ended up the last person standing. Sam left. Leo got sick. Josh abandoned us for someone who wasn't even 'his guy'. And then Toby..." C.J. closed her eyes for a second, unable to elaborate. "And it's not like you were the most constant presence in my life over the years either," she added. "I'm not blaming you," she said quickly. "but it's true. And with the White House, I was all on my own. Oh, I had Charlie, and Margaret, who is a machine and who saved me in more ways than I can count. But my guys were gone. I was thrown into an arena I knew almost nothing about." C.J. paused, collecting her thoughts as Danny gently rubbed her back, watching her face carefully. "All the triumphs of our first term were gone, and what successes we had, there was no one to share them with. I was in a state of constant worry, on constant defense. You don't get it, you couldn't. Press Secretary isn't exactly a vacation, by _any_ means, but Chief of Staff was..." She took a moment, closing her eyes again, strained and yet strangely relieved to vocalize the feelings she'd been harboring for the past year. "I could never relax, Danny," she said softly. "I never had a moment to myself. I know you thought I was blowing you off sometimes out of fear, and maybe I was, but you don't understand. I never had time to _think_. I couldn't spend an afternoon in a park, reflecting on my feelings and what they meant and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I couldn't even lounge on my couch and watch a bad sitcom."

Danny nodded, understanding. "You're going to learn how to do it again. You're not going to feel nervous and defensive forever." He gave her an easy smile. "And I'm nice, C.J. I'm a good guy. I'm easy to trust. Which is probably why you fought so hard against it, actually."

"I keep thinking about that day," she said finally.

Danny brushed his hand on her thigh, captivated with this display of intimacy. "What day?" he asked softly.

"The day at the hot dog stand...I know I made you feel like I didn't care about you, or I didn't care enough about us to try to make it work, and it's going to be awhile before I can forgive myself for that. But you didn't understand."

"I remember," he said softly.

She looked up at him, her face distraught. "You asked the wrong question," she laughed, a little tearful. "Do you remember what you said?"

"I asked if you saw me in your future," he murmured.

She nodded, sighing. "You asked if I saw you in it, not if I wanted you there. It is...a very different question, Danny. And that day, after living in a world where I'd had to pick up the pieces after everyone I trusted and cared about evaporated into thin air, I couldn't see any future where I wasn't in a constant state of anxiety and exhaustion. It felt like it had been burned into my DNA by that point."

"Oh, C.J.," Danny said softly, tracing her cheek.

"I'm sorry. This was supposed to be a nice relaxing picnic, and I turned it into a daytime talk show." C.J. groaned. "I promise, I'm not always this melodramatic."

"I like it when you talk to me about how you're feeling, C.J. I like when you talk to me about anything." He smiled at her. "Besides, you'll be able to relax better after you talk about it. Here, lean over," he instructed, shifting their bodies so she was sitting between his outstretched legs, her back to him. "This'll help. Why don't you try some of the fruit salad while I rub your shoulders?"

"You spoil me," C.J. mumbled, feeling his steady hands on her upper back. "I try," Danny smiled.

"We're going to get good at this, aren't we?" she said quietly after a few moments, feeling the waves of tension starting to dissipate.

"We're going to get _great_ at it," he replied, leaning forward to kiss the side of her chin.

* * *

_Late afternoon._

* * *

A couple hours later they had explored the park at length. By the time afternoon hit, kids were starting to stream into the park, and C.J. laughed when a small boy ran ahead of his dad, chasing his Bernese mountain dog as the pooch bounded up to C.J. and started licking her hands affectionately.

"You ready to go?" Danny smiled, watching the dad swoop the child up with one hand and grab the leash with the other.

"Yeah," C.J. said quietly, her eyes following Danny's. "You up for some real Los Angeles star searching?" she grinned.

* * *

_Early evening._

* * *

By the time they reached the observatory, the sky was already starting to darken. C.J. entered the familiar halls with excitement, pulling Danny along as they waded through the sea of families.

"This is great. More museums should be free," Danny commented, looking at the mash-up of different groups represented around them.

"Yeah, it was part of the WPA," C.J. said vaguely.

Danny glanced at her. "You've been spending too much time with the President," he replied, grinning.

"That is entirely true, but I think I got that one from Sam, actually." C.J. laughed. "Come on, I want to show you the balcony."

* * *

They made their way to the edges of the observatory, each of them gazing out at the spectacular view of Los Angeles.

C.J. stared out over the city, speechless. "It's a little scary," she murmured.

"What is?" Danny asked, his arm around her waist.

"How easy it is, to forget how big the world is. You think you know, you think you've seen so much that you could never forget how much there is, then you just see a city like L.A." She sighed a little as his lips brushed her cheek. "And there's all the homes and the lights, and suddenly you remember that each one of them represents a family, full of people with hopes and dreams and joys and sorrows," C.J. said quietly, pulling her jacket tighter around her. "It's one thing to talk about the butterfly effect - and I know this is gonna make me sound pretty full of myself so you'll have to forgive me, but...I really have had an impact on most of these people's lives, and that is...scary."

"You made them better," Danny said firmly. C.J. smiled, looking into the sunset.

After awhile she looked up, her breath catching. The sky was still darkening, the stars not yet discernible. It made her feel sad, reminding her of Toby, and then her father, who adored astronomy, who had spent a decent chunk of her childhood sitting outside with her with a telescope, gazing upwards, trying to tell her the way it gave their lives meaning, and the virtue of the knowledge there was still left to discover. It hadn't really hit home with her until it was too late.

"What are you thinking about?" Danny asked, gazing at her intently. C.J. paused, collecting her thoughts.

"Everything seems so big from the White House – you think to yourself, I'm standing amongst some of the most powerful people on Earth, in a place that's known of all around the world. And yet, all you have to do is look up, and suddenly everything starts to feel insignificant." C.J. said wistfully.

Danny shook his head, his curls blowing a little as the wind picked up. "It's not insignificant. You said it yourself. Look back out there," he urged, pointing out to the city. "All those people. They're people you helped – you were part of something that had real meaning in the world. And you're not done, C.J. You're branching out. You're touching more lives. It doesn't matter if the universe is vast," he said softly. "The magnitude of its existence doesn't make those lives less significant."

"No, you're right," C.J. murmured, smiling as he kissed her cheek.

"It just makes me a hell of a lucky guy for being the one to get to do this," Danny finished, and C.J. felt him turn her waist so they were facing, and closed her eyes as her breath floated away.


	6. Moving Milestones

**What Else?**

**Chapter 6:** Moving Milestones

**Author:** AmandasArmada

**Rating:** K

**Notes: **Super short drabble/filler, meh. Important to my story, though, so here it is.

* * *

**January 26, 2007**

"Sorry I was gone so long, traffic was...whoa." C.J.'s voice trailed off, as she gazed around the living room.

"I thought I'd surprise you," Danny grinned, setting down a box on the kitchen table. "I mean, I know we're planning to get our own places soon anyway, but I figured in the meantime it wouldn't hurt to make this place a little cozier."

"No, it looks wonderful," C.J. said honestly, staring around. "It's just a little...jarring." She took a few steps forward. She paused, seeing a few books spread neatly on the coffee table. She only recognized two of them, the other two were a mystery. Her body flooded with an emotion she couldn't quite describe.

Danny came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. "Why don't you sit down? I can take care of the groceries."

"No, really," C.J. protested. "You must have been moving heavy boxes for an hour, at least-"

"So you'd have somewhere to sit besides the bed," Danny smiled. "Come on, I'll make you some tea."

C.J. smiled, letting Danny guide her over to the familiar couch that used to sit in Danny's apartment in Washington. "Oh," she said suddenly, looking to the left.

"What?" Danny asked, his face falling, following her line of sight.

"Ah, nothing." C.J. smiled up at him, her lips a little tighter than normal.

"C.J.?" Danny looked at her, perplexed.

"It's nothing, really," C.J. tried to assure him, even smiling a little for real now. "It's just...that is quite a chair."

Danny stared at where she was looking, more confused than ever. "My chair? You've seen it a hundred times."

"Well, yeah. But not sitting in _my_ apartment," C.J. pointed out, laughing now.

"Ohhh," Danny said, joining her on the couch. He smiled, as C.J. continued to crack up.

"Clearly, we should have talked about this," he said finally, chuckling.

"Sorry," C.J. said, cringing.

"No, no, no." He looked at her curiously. "Be honest with me here, though. Is this a case of you not appreciating my sophisticated taste in furniture, or is this more of a this-is-moving-too-far-too-fast?"

C.J. sighed, ducking her head. "A little of both. Mostly the first though. Except I have great taste in furniture," she defended herself.

Danny nodded. "Okay," he said, more to her first statement than the latter.

"Danny, it's not so much that I'm opposed to living with you, I just wasn't expecting to have to think about it today. Think about how much my life has changed in the past month. It's a lot to deal with."

Danny kissed her cheek, but she spotted the look of sadness in his eyes. "I wasn't trying to pressure you. Really." He sighed. "I just knew it's still going to be a few weeks before we find apartments, and I thought it would be nice to, you know, have a couch." He looked around. "I did have a little too much fun with it, though," he conceded.

"No," C.J. said firmly. "You shouldn't feel bad. You're _so_ sweet."

Danny smiled at her. "So how do you want to deal with this?"

C.J. looked around, thinking. "You're right. Let's go down to the storage place tomorrow, and we can go through our stuff together. Mix and merge. You can keep your ugly chair, as a piece offering. Also because it'd be really mean to make you move it back down."

Danny laughed, beaming at her.


	7. Revelations Part 1

**What Else?**

**Chapter 7:** Revelations, Part 1

**Author:** AmandasArmada

**Rating:** T

* * *

**Tuesday, January 30th, 2007**

"I got an interesting phone call this morning," Danny said from his place on the bed, gazing at C.J. contemplatively and watching her run a towel through her dripping hair.

"Oh yeah?" She glanced at him curiously.

"Yeah."

"You gonna tell me what it is?" C.J. joked.

"Sorry. Got distracted by the gorgeous woman in front of me."

C.J. blushed happily, letting her robe drape open a little seductively, revealing an inch of her lavender silk panties. Danny grinned, then cleared his throat, averting his eyes for a moment so he wouldn't be sidetracked.

"You remember how you said you'd love to meet my sister?"

"Is she visiting L.A. now too?" C.J. inquired, looking a little confused as she pulled a blouse over her camisole.

"Not exactly. You still want to meet her?"

"Of course," C.J. said uncertainly, still unsure where he was going with it.

"What about meeting all of 'em?"

C.J. looked over at him, taking a pause from rifling through the drawer. Her eyebrows shot up good-naturedly. "How many do you have?"

Danny looked at her, unfazed. "Four."

"Four?" C.J. asked, laughing.

"Irish Catholic."

"So am I. I don't think anyone told my parents they weren't supposed to use birth control. There's only three of us." C.J. picked up a brush and started running it through her hair.

"Well – I got a call. It's my mom's birthday this weekend. Seventy-five."

"Wow. That's a big one," C.J. said casually, now rooting around for a pair of slacks.

At that moment the lightbulb went off in her head, making her spin towards him, her long legs entangled halfway in.

"You're going to see her?"

"They're throwing her a last-minute party. A little get together, just family. Of course-" Danny smiled. "-That's a _lot_ of people. They weren't sure if she'd be feeling like a bunch of visitors, so they put off making any definite plans. It's not as big of a deal for the rest of them, they all live close by. Compared to L.A., anyway. Or D.C. for that matter."

"Are you asking me to come?"

"It'd mean a lot to me."

C.J. looked at him.

"This weekend?"

"This weekend."

"Three days from now?"

"You got other plans?"

"In Michigan?"

"That's where I'm from," Danny agreed.

"Your whole family?"

Danny sighed. His smile had faded, and he looked tired. "Never mind. You don't have to come. I just thought I'd get to show you off a bit, introduce you to my family – it's fine. Don't worry about it."

"No – _no_," C.J. said urgently, moving to sit next to him on the bed. "Of course I'll come. You just caught me off-guard, I'm sorry. That sounds amazing. I haven't experienced a real midwestern winter in ages."

She smiled encouragingly, pushing down the trace of anxiety she felt crawling up from her stomach. For one thing, Danny was important to her, and meeting his family – maybe even charming his sisters into telling stories she could gleefully hold over him later – could be fun. For another, this was clearly an important milestone to him, and she was eager to show she could take it in stride. This was her shot to make up for the weeks – months, really - of blowing him off and forgetting to call, showing up late and snapping stressfully at him in the morning. Her mind raced as she gathered her thoughts.

This was her first big test, and she didn't want to blow it. C.J. Cregg excelled at challenges, and if she pulled this off she'd be scoring some major points. She got a hint of that old rush – her competitiveness, her thirst to prove herself, and slam any questions of her vulnerability to the ground. She took his hand, trying to show him she wasn't rattled or avoiding him – and she wasn't, really. The thought of meeting his family was actually starting to excite her. She was just...a little nervous. But that was natural. She could handle some nerves.

"Yeah?" Danny asked, breaking her from her thoughts.

She smiled at him. Danny hesitated. "Really? You sure?"

C.J. leaned forward and kissed him. "You'll have to tell me all about them. Especially if I need to start studying up on half a dozen people." She kissed him again. Danny looked dazed. "You wanna be in charge of getting our tickets?"

Danny's face lit up, and the rest of C.J.'s nerves ebbed away. "Absolutely."

* * *

_A few days later._

* * *

"You nervous?"

C.J. gulped down her wine guiltily, looking over at the aisle seat next to her. "I thought you were asleep."

"My family's gonna love you, you know." He was grinning drowsily, gazing at her with his head still against his travel pillow.

"Sorry," she said apologetically. "I've never really – met a guy's family before."

"What? Really?" Danny asked, surprised, shifting in his seat to look at her.

"Well – I have, I mean, of course I have – but literally over a decade ago, and it was never anything that serious."

"Are you saying we're serious?" Danny's eyes twinkled. C.J. gave him a Look, exasperated.

"Listen," he said soothingly. "I know it's a little overwhelming, but you're gonna be fine. You've handled a room full of rabid reporters ready and eager to tear you to shreds – and you dealt with them with dignity and grace. This is gonna be way easier. Just give 'em some of that C.J. Cregg charm, you'll knock it out of the park."

"I'm not feeling very charming," C.J. said awkwardly. The prospect of actually facing a huge mass of Dannys was starting to get her heart thudding again.

"I'm really happy you decided to come," Danny said earnestly, trying to distract her from her nerves. C.J. granted him a smile.

"Maybe next time we fly out, we can take more time – rent a car, drive down to Ohio. I'd love to meet your family," Danny said encouragingly. C.J. shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Danny noticed, but didn't press it.

"Come on, we'll be landing in half an hour. Why don't you hit me with any last minute questions before we get there?"

* * *

_Later that afternoon._

* * *

The ride from Detroit Metro Airport to Ferndale was easier than she'd expected. Danny's brother-in-law, Steve, was easy-going and friendly, and C.J. was relieved at Danny's consideration in having him pick them up. She was feeling reasonably comfortable with her decision at this point, but she still felt that being ambushed by a hoard of curly-haired Concannons on her first step off the plane might have been a little much for her.

"This is it," Danny said, and C.J. looked out the window to see a large, old-fashioned farmhouse with a huge wraparound porch. The door opened, and a golden retriever came bounding out, followed by a small girl of about 8, who ran towards the SUV excitedly.

"Uncle Danny!" She exclaimed, squealing as Danny pushed open the door to greet her, his face lit up.

"SARAH MARIE HARTLEY, YOU GET BACK IN HERE THIS INSTANT!" A pretty woman in her mid-forties with dark red hair came tearing out after her, sweeping the little girl into her arms. "You know better than to go out in this weather without your coat!"

"Uncle Danny's here!" The girl exclaimed giggling, and Danny leaned forward to plant a kiss on her head, as the mother wrapped a coat around the girl protectively.

"I see him," the woman said, a touch of scolding still in her voice, but she looked up at her brother warmly, standing on tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, Danny."

"Hey, Cass." Danny was beaming.

"Come on, let's get her inside," the woman said, leading the way, shooting C.J. a smile over her shoulder.

"You guys go on ahead, I'll get your bags," Steve called, walking around the car towards the back.

Entering the house, there was a moment of awkward laughter as the three of them worked to wipe the snow off their shoes, Danny's sister pulling the wet tennis shoes off her daughter's feet and setting her down, the dog bounding up to lick C.J.'s face.

"Sorry I haven't introduced myself - do you prefer C.J., or Claudia Jean?" The woman smiled warmly, extending her hand.

"Oh – C.J.'s fine," she said, relieved to hear only a trace of nervousness in her voice. "You must be Cassidy." They shook hands.

"Danny hasn't been able to shut up about you," Cassidy said, as Danny helped C.J. with her coat. "Abbey Bartlett better enjoy her place in the spotlight while she can, I think he's planning to write the book on you next."

C.J. laughed, and she and Danny exchanged a look, Danny smiling.

"She's not exaggerating," Steve said good-naturedly, coming in behind them and setting their duffel bags in the hall. "I know Erin's really looking forward to meeting you, she can't wait to find out more about this elusive creature Danny's so crazy about."

"Are you Uncle Danny's girlfriend?" A tiny girl, clearly younger than Sarah, seemed to suddenly pop out of nowhere, attaching herself to Danny's leg and looking up, her thumb in her mouth. Danny smiled down at her, patting her head.

"Of course she is," Sarah said bossily before anyone could answer, tugging on her Uncle's arm and turning to her younger cousin importantly. "She's C.J. Cregg. I read her wikipedia page. It was mostly really boring, but she was the Chief of Staff for President Bartlett, which is _really_ important, my teacher said. And before that she was the Press Secretary. Not a secretary like Ms. Whitcomb in the office at school, either. Way cooler." The younger girl's mouth gaped open, and she looked up at C.J. with new respect.

C.J. found herself blushing, and Cassidy caught on. "I think we maybe need to have a talk about discussing people like they're not here," she scolded her daughter gently. "Oh, no-" C.J. blurted out, laughing. "I think it's adorable." She smiled down at her, and felt herself going into aunt mode – it was easier than she expected, the little girl's strawberry blonde hair and big blue eyes reminding her forcibly of Hogan at that age. "I'm not surprised you read up on me - your Uncle Danny told me about you. He said you get all As in school." Sarah beamed, and C.J. turned her attention to the younger girl, smiling. "Hi there – and you must be Emily. Your Uncle Danny told me about you too. Did you know he's got one of your drawings hanging up on our fridge? You're a really good artist. I'm C.J., by the way." She extended her hand. The little girl took it tentatively, hiding her face behind Danny's pantleg.

"I _thought_ I heard a car!" A second woman came bustling down the stairs, grinning. "MOM! DAD! They're here!" she called up the landing. _"Danny_," she exclaimed excitedly, wrapping her younger brother in a hug. She was the splitting image of him, with a round friendly face and long waves of golden-strawberry hair. "You must be C.J.," she said, turning to their guest. "I'm Bridget. You can call me Bree if you want. It's so nice to finally meet you. Danny talked my ear off about you at dinner a few weeks ago."

"Don't feel bad, apparently he did it to everyone," C.J. replied, only half-joking.

"Why don't we go sit down?" Danny said hurriedly, seeing that C.J. was starting to look a little frazzled.

They made their way into the living room, and Danny sat down next to C.J. on the loveseat, putting his arm around her. Emily climbed up onto his lap, shooting shy glances at C.J. with her thumb in her mouth. A moment later an older couple came into the room, looks of excitement on each of their faces.

Danny stood up, carrying Emily with him, and C.J. joined him, trying to look natural.

Danny's mother was tiny, 5'1 at most, plump and soft-bodied and friendly-faced, but her eyes were sharp and intelligent and she enveloped her only son in a huge hug. His father stood grinning behind them, then hugged Danny himself once she'd released him.

"Mom, Dad – this is C.J." Danny's blue eyes were mesmerized as he beamed at her.

"I have to tell you, it's a bit surreal, finally meeting you," Maureen Concannon said, and C.J. cringed, expecting another joke about how much Danny had talked about her. "We've been watching you on the television for years – wait until I tell my friends at the Grange I've met you. You might just have to sign a few autographs while you're here, we've got some members of the Raging Grannies that would go berserk." C.J. laughed out loud, blushing happily, and allowed the woman to welcome her with a hug.

* * *

_That evening._

* * *

Dinner that night was an affair. Bridget and Cassidy, who lived in Chicago and Indianapolis respectively, were staying for the weekend with their families. Although Steve had brought little Emily back to their home with Erin a few miles away, and Abigail wouldn't be arriving from Ann Arbor until the next afternoon, the house was packed. C.J. met Cassidy's other child, Sarah's older brother Sean - a shy ten-year-old who carried a notebook around with him everywhere, and then Bridget's 19-year-old daughter Megan, who had driven up for the weekend from Northwestern, and Megan's 16-year-old brother Jordan, who was currently texting under the table, glancing surreptitiously around the table, imagining himself to be sneakier than he really was. Bridget and Cassidy's husbands, Thomas and Mitch, had been introduced, and the 11 of them were seated around an enormous table in the dining room.

C.J. looked around, smiling to herself as she listened to the conversation around her, occasionally joining in, her comments garnering plenty of interested looks and loud laughter. It made her feel good, being with a family again, but there was also an ache in her that she tried to ignore, as Danny squeezed her hand under the table.


	8. Revelations Part 2

**Chapter 8: **Revelations, Part 2

**Author:** AmandasArmada

**Rating: **M

**Trigger Warning:** Mention of Death and Illness (ultimately a happy chapter)

* * *

C.J. woke up early the next morning, a habit she was still trying to break. She smiled into Danny's chest, moving her arm to rest on his back. She was getting used to this.

"Morning," he mumbled, kissing her head. She heard him inhale her scent and rubbed his back, slowly remembering where they were.

"You want breakfast? I can guarantee you my mom's got something going." Even as he spoke, the smell of eggs wafted into the room.

"Oh – I should offer to help," CJ said considerately, sitting up and reaching over for her glasses.

"Good luck with that," Danny laughed, sitting up himself, his curls a mess this early in the morning.

"Do you guys usually get dressed before breakfast?" CJ looked down at her pajamas – drawstring pants and a Berkeley t-shirt, and then over at her her bag, yawning.

"You're fine," Danny assured her.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Was thinkin' of hopping in the shower first." Danny smiled. "You're welcome to join me."

He stood up, pulling off his Notre Dame sweatshirt. C.J. smiled and kissed him, then picked up the sweatshirt from the bed, pulling it over herself instead. "I think I'll wait to jump you until there aren't 10 other people in the house," she said grinning.

"Suit yourself," Danny said confidently, grinning as she tiptoed out of the room.

* * *

Downstairs, C.J. found a remarkably quiet scene – Maureen and Bridget Concannon sitting at the kitchen table (which was considerably smaller than the one in the dining room), Bridget sipping coffee from a U of M mug, Maureen drinking tea. They both smiled when C.J. came in.

"Morning," Maureen said pleasantly, standing up.

"Good morning. Happy Birthday," C.J. said sweetly, smiling as sat down at the table and pushed a lock of hair out of her face.

"Can I make you something? Eggs? Pancakes?"

"Oh no, please, don't go to any trouble," C.J. said quickly.

"I like cooking," Maureen said sincerely. "She does," Bridget added. "If you try to pour some cereal or cook something yourself, she'll sulk. And fuss." She smiled at her mother. "Sorry, but it's true. We're a brutally honest family," she said to C.J.

"That must be where Danny gets his reporter instincts," Maureen said good-naturedly. C.J. smiled at her, and noticed again Danny's resemblance to his mother. The round friendly face and easy-going nature was certainly uncannily familiar to her. "How do pancakes sound?"

"I – if you really want to," C.J. couldn't help feeling a little guilty, but Maureen beamed at her. "Would you like some orange juice?"

"Oh – sure," C.J. went to stand up.

"Not at all, I've got it," Maureen assured her. C.J. sat back down, blushing at the courtesy.

"Not to put you on the spot or anything," Bree said slyly, causing C.J. to turn her attention to her. "But I'm pretty sure you're the first woman Danny's brought home since his girlfriends in college."

C.J. blushed, awkward again. "Oh, well – he's got a busy job. Long nights, lots of travel - not exactly conducive for dating."

"You've known each other for quite some time though, haven't you?" Maureen asked innocently.

"Going on nine years," C.J. reflected, remembering the charming reporter she'd first developed a crush on back on the campaign trail, who'd laughed at her klutziness and privately assured her she was doing a good job.

"And yet, I bet you'd still be happy to hear us dish the dirt on Danny," Bridget grinned. C.J. raised her eyebrows.

"What don't I know?"

Bridget smiled mischievously. "Hold on, I'll get the family albums." She stood. "Wait 'til you see Danny in high school." She flipped her curls over her shoulder. "Some of us," she said, in a voice laced with false haughtiness, "handled puberty better than others."

* * *

_Later that day._

* * *

The day that followed was one of the most relaxed and easy C.J. could remember in a long time. Completely cut off from Washington, with kids running all around, and laughter coming from each room as she passed through the house, she held hands with Danny as each one of his family members gradually tried to get to know her. She met Abigail, a lawyer, and her husband James, a handsome black man that taught political science at the University of Michigan. Abigail resembled Danny's father and was the most serious of the Concannons, although she laughed easily when prompted and spoke passionately with C.J. about politics, and the fact that they'd both spent time working for Emily's List. Erin on the other hand was young, in her mid-thirties, with a sweet and earnest face like Danny's, and she had a growing bump and a glow that radiated from beneath her long blonde hair. The kids went out and went sledding down the hill in the family's backyard, trampling snow all through the hallway, and the adults traipsed obediently outside, shivering, to admire the two-feet tall snowman that had been sloppily assembled in the front yard. C.J. laughed and played Go Fish with the kids (at Sarah's insistence), then board games and gin rummy with Danny's sisters. Danny's mother was surrounded by family and flowers, a stack of presents piling up on the long dining room table as the afternoon progressed. Danny's father, quiet and more somber like Abigail, kissed his wife, and C.J. saw a hint of Danny's twinkling eyes peeping out from his strong face. For the latter part of the afternoon, Danny couldn't seem to leave C.J.'s side, and his hands were always on her – holding her hand, putting his arm around her waist, brushing her hair back, kissing her when he thought they were alone, until Sarah started giggling and screeching – and all the while, his family quietly exchanged hopeful smiles.

* * *

_That evening._

* * *

C.J. sat on the bed in Danny's old bedroom, looking around at the navy blue walls, a Notre Dame flag hanging over the dresser. She thought about her own room back in Dayton, which was now Hogan's room, since her brother had moved back into the old house when her dad got sick, first to take care of him, and then to remain close when he'd had to go into the home. Wiping away the tears starting to form, she didn't even notice Danny coming out of the bathroom until he'd sat behind her.

"Heyyy," he said gently, concern in his voice. "What's wrong?"

"Oh – nothing. I just got something in my eye," CJ said, sniffling and looking away.

"Did someone say something to you that upset you?" Danny sounded confused, and a little angry. "Abby can be really tactless sometimes, she gets away with it because she's the oldest." C.J. shook her head silently. "Or Jordan? He's a good kid, but he's gotten pretty obnoxious the past couple years. He's that age."

CJ looked at him balefully through her watery eyes, and Danny nodded, chuckling with her at the idea that a 16-year-old boy could make C.J. Cregg cry.

"All right, so that's not it," he admitted, as C.J. allowed herself a small smile. "What's wrong?" Danny repeated, wrapping his arms around her.

"I need to tell you something," C.J. said quietly, tipping her head to look up into his eyes. "I don't usually talk about it. Only a couple of people know."

"You can trust me," Danny said comfortingly, rubbing her back slowly.

C.J. took a deep breath, sitting up a bit so they were facing. Danny moved his hand to rest on her thigh, rubbing little circles on it.

"You know that my mom passed away – a long time ago now. She was sick. Cancer," C.J. almost whispered the word, a word she always tried to avoid saying, as if afraid that if it heard her calling its name, it might come back for someone else.

"Yeah," Danny said softly.

"Well my dad – my dad is sick now too." C.J. looked into his eyes. "He's got Alzheimer's. He's in a home."

"Oh, C.J." Danny leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her. She let herself sink into him for a few minutes, her tears seeping into his sweater. He rubbed her back and ran his fingers over her hair, helping her take deep breaths as she cried quietly into his chest. He kissed the top of her head, his heart full of love and sorrow for the grieving woman in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, C.J. I'm here. I'm always gonna be here," he murmured, as she buried her head into his neck. He just held her for awhile, rubbing her hair, whispering to her.

After a few minutes she seemed to collect herself, and the tears stopped. She looked into his face, and he marveled at the bravery there.

"I just thought you should know. And I've been thinking about it a lot this past few days, ever since you brought up coming here." C.J. took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry I brought all of this up," Danny said softly. "I'm glad you told me."

C.J. exhaled softly, looking around. "It's just made me feel...awful, because you have this big great family, and I used to have that too." She met his eyes again. "I really did. And I wish I could have shared it with you."

"I wish you could too," Danny said softly, and even as he touched his nose to hers, a vision came to him, of C.J. and him building their own family, with a house and Christmases and laughter and friends. He pushed it to the back of his mind, feeling C.J. brush her lips against his.

"I wish you could have met my dad," C.J. said softly.

"Well, I still can," Danny said quietly, looking gently into her face. C.J. shook her head, awkward and self-conscious. "You wouldn't get much from it. He's not himself, 99% of the time. You'd be really uncomfortable. It's okay."

"I doubt that." Danny put his hand to her face. "I want to meet your dad, C.J.," he assured her.

C.J. looked at him, and a slow wave of warmth spread over her. She paused. "I have a niece, you know. Hogan. And two nephews. Two brothers."

"I can't wait to meet 'em," Danny told her, kissing her gently. She smiled, tears still in her eyes.

"I wish you could have met...her," she said quietly.

Danny looked at her intently, then guided her down so they were laying down on the bed, his arms curled around her.

"Tell me about her," he said softly.

And she did.

* * *

_The next day._

* * *

The next morning, C.J. and Danny departed for the airport, Emily crying a little when they drove off. C.J. had wished Danny's mother a happy birthday again, and told everyone how nice it'd been to meet them, and meant it. Danny's father gave her a smile with a twinkle in his eyes as he shook her hand good-bye, and Cassidy smirked at Bridget as Danny took C.J.'s hand to head out, with Sarah announcing in a stage whisper to a sulking Emily that she'd walked in on them kissing again that morning.

* * *

That night back in L.A., Danny and C.J. crawled into bed together, and she settled up against him, looking into his blue eyes and sighing. This weekend had been exhausting, emotionally as much as physically, but she felt strong as she looked down at the man whose family had welcomed her into their home.

"What's up?" He said, smiling. She cut him off with a kiss.

The next thing he knew she was pulling his sweatshirt off, kissing him desperately, her heart brimming with emotion, her mind swimming with the thoughts that were flooding through her head. Danny sighed deeply as she tugged her shirt over her head, pushing her body against his firmly. He ran his hand over her back, letting it sit in the dip above her waist, pulling her closer. His other hand fumbled with unclasping her bra, and he moved his first hand to run it through her hair. He kissed her face, her neck, her breasts, running his hands up and down her sides.

She was tugging at his pants, a quiet passion that overwhelmed him even more than when she would climb on top of him, laughing and tearing off his clothes eagerly.

She was kissing him gently, and he could feel his heart beating against her skin, so fast he was sure she could feel it too, her pants abandoned and her hips pushing against his.

She took his face in her hands as she kissed him, and he couldn't keep his hands off her. He slid a finger into the soft folds of her skin, her panties long gone, and choked out a low groan at feeling how wet she was. He pushed his finger gently inside her, then another, rocking his palm against her clit until she started gasping. He listened breathlessly as her gasps turned to moans, deeper and throatier, and a moment later felt her whole body clench up. Her breathing changed and she rocked against him, and he felt her release of air as she sighed. Her hand took his, gently guiding it away, then she took his erection in her hand, sliding it inside of her. He looked into her eyes and she put her hands back on his face, they rolled over so he was looking down at her, kissing her, her legs wrapping around his waist. He listened to her sighs, mounting again as his own ecstasy grew, their eyes locked together, and he was mesmerized by how beautiful she was.

* * *

_Late that night._

* * *

"I owe you an apology," she said quietly, afterwards, as she lay sprawled on top of him, her body coated in a cool sweat.

"For what?" he murmured, confused.

"For that day. At the hot dog stand." She sounded scared.

"You've made up for it," he said sleepily, rubbing her back again.

"I made you feel like I didn't see a future with you. Like you weren't important to me."

Danny sighed quietly, his chest aching at the memory. There had been a few hours – a few terrifying hours – where he'd wondered if her feelings were just an attraction to him; combined with a friendly affection, sure, but nothing more. It gutted him, reliving that feeling - when for the first moment his confidence that she loved him, maybe even as much as he loved her, had been shaken, and maybe the future that he'd been hoping for so strongly, that had been becoming more and more clear to him every time their lips met, was just a fling for her. A passionate fling, but a fling.

"I don't feel that way." Her voice was clear.

Danny smiled a little, exhausted. "I'm getting that."

She looked at him seriously. "It's important that you know."

He listened to her heartbeat, still racing against his chest. "I know," he said softly.

"And that you know that I'm sorry."

He pulled her into a kiss, and as they pulled away and he smiled at her, she felt that rush of warmth and reassurance that she associated only with his presence. She smiled back in spite of herself, and Danny kissed her forehead. "I forgive you."

She settled her face back against his chest, closing her eyes, a feeling of calmness flooding through her.

C.J. Cregg was getting ready to jump off a cliff.


	9. Valentine's Day

**What Else**

**Chapter 9: **When You Say Nothing At All

**Author:** AmandasArmada

**Rating:** T

**Author's Note:** THIS IS CHEESY AS FUCK AND I REGRET NOTHING :D

(On a more serious note – this fic is definitely really fluffy, but I feel like it's justified by two things –One, C.J.'s actions in "Institutional Memory" would be a huge springboard for her becoming more affectionate and serious in their relationship, and I think she'd feel like she had to do something big to show Danny that she really did care. I also think the lack of stress after the Inauguration would allow her to reach out more, because I think at the end of the day C.J. is a very emotional (in a good way) as well as emotionally-_mature _person. Two, although the lovey-dovey stuff might seem a little much, I feel like it's more or less accurate at the beginning of a relationship. They're in the "honeymoon" stage.

* * *

_(About a week after returning from Michigan.)_

* * *

**February 13, 2007**

She smiled at her reflection as she put in her right earring, pausing to admire the effect the blue gems had when they sparkled. She felt happy and confident, and completely stress-free – Josh's calls had been getting more and more infrequent, and she'd gotten the chance to talk to Carol, subtly trying to gauge her reaction should she offer her a job with the Hollis Foundation. A few days before, C.J. had received files from Mattison, her liaison to Franklin Hollis's resources, containing research she'd requested so she could start compiling a starting plan. The rush of getting something accomplished without the pressure of the White House left her almost giddy. Earlier that day she'd picked out a new bikini, trying to stockpile again now that she was back in L.A. She laughed to herself, imagining Danny in shorts, holding hands on the beach, but the schmaltzy image changed to one with his arms around her, standing on a patio under the sun, looking out at the mountains, or her letting him take her to the boardwalk in Santa Monica and do the cutesy couple thing. He'd buy her cotton candy and she'd beat him at the basketball game, but let him win at the balloon darts so he didn't feel bad. There was so much for them still to do.

She looked at her body in the blue dress, imagining Danny taking it off of her. It was their last night together for a few days, because he was flying out the next morning for a story he'd been working on for the better part of a year. She planned on giving him something to remember her by while he was gone.

When she met Danny in the living room twenty minutes later, her face lit up, delighted at the sight of Danny standing in a suit, a dozen roses in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. "Oh my god. Danny...You're so sweet, it's ridiculous," she said smiling, wrapping her arms around him as she pulled him in for a kiss.

"I try," he replied smiling. He looked her over, his eyes widening a little. "That's quite a dress."

"Come on, nimrod." She kissed him quickly. "Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

_That evening._

* * *

"I feel really bad about not being here tomorrow," Disappointment was written all over Danny's face as he gazed at her across the table, two candles flickering upon it.

C.J. looked up over the glass of chardonnay poised at her lips. She laughed lightly, surprised. "_Seriously?_ Don't." She took a sip, smiling. "You have absolutely nothing to feel bad about. I can't even remember the last time I celebrated Valentine's Day. I mean, aside from a few heart-shaped lollipops left on my desk by Carol - and although I always found it very sweet, she's not really my type." She set the glass down.

"Well, yeah," Danny said in his soft voice. "You don't really need to tell _me_ about the effect your work has had on your love life," he chuckled. "But that's why I really wanted to make this special. Because as great as you are at being the kickass career woman - that's not all you are," Danny said pointedly. "I wanted to do the big romantic gesture thing. You deserve it." Danny paused. "It's not too late. I can call my editor and tell her to send someone else." His voice had a question in it.

"Danny, _no_," C.J. emphasized. "This has been your story from the beginning, you've been working on it on and off for months – god, it even distracted you from the election. This is your last big story for the Post. It's your Swan Song. I don't want to mess that up," CJ said earnestly.

Danny rubbed his beard, looking conflicted. "How ironic is it that our big Day of Love is being ruined by _my_ work commitments?"

"Not so ironic, given your rather celebrated and prolific career," CJ pointed out dryly. "Although if you refer to it as our 'Day of Love' in public that might take a nosedive, I'm not gonna lie to you."

Danny smiled, then carried on. "But that's the thing," he looked at her sincerely. "This is our first Valentine's Day together as a real couple. Hopefully...the first of many." He looked almost shy. "I wanted to make some memories."

C.J. smiled at him. "We are making a memory – just a little early." She reached across to take his hand. "And like you said, we're going to have a lot more of these," it was her turn to blush, and Danny was reminded of the awkward unsure-of-herself woman he'd first fallen for all those years ago. He beamed at her.

C.J. looked around the restaurant. "Besides, this place is lovely, Danny. Really. And the flowers, and candy – you filled your Valentine's Day Boyfriend Quota, as far as I'm concerned." She took a bite of her food, her casual demeanor betrayed by the small smile on her face.

"Ah, well, you're really gonna be blown away by this then," Danny said, a little smugly, putting a flat square box on the table.

"You got me a _present_?" C.J. gasped.

"Couldn't help myself," Danny said easily.

C.J. looked faintly horrified. "I forgot couples get each other presents! I didn't even think about Valentine's Day until you said something a couple days ago, I'm so sorry Danny-"

Danny laughed. "I really wasn't expecting anything. I think after 8 years of waiting, getting to sit across from you is more than enough." He pushed the box towards her. "Open it."

C.J. picked it up tenderly, looking at the wrapping. "It's nothing big," Danny said, unable to keep the nervousness out of his voice. "I was just...browsing, and I saw it, and I thought of you."

"Ohhhh-" C.J. breathed softly. "Danny, it's beautiful. You want to help me put it on?"

Danny smiled, standing up and walking over to her, helping her clasp the glittering bracelet over her wrist. "I wanted to get ya something more personal. The day just kinda snuck up on us."

"No, I love it," C.J. said honestly. "Thank you." She gave him a quick kiss before he returned to his side of the table.

"You're _so_ sweet," C.J. repeated, looking at him across the table. "It's pretty corny," Danny admitted laughing.

C.J. continued to smile, thinking of her own upcoming plans. "Corny can be good."

* * *

_Three days later._

* * *

"Shit." C.J. cursed, her hand slipping in the pot holder as she whisked across Sam's kitchen. The new condo was as familiar as possible to her now, but she'd never felt particularly at home in this room – her cooking skills were minimal at best.

Setting the pot down, she looked at her watch and swore again.

This was an _incredibly_ stupid idea.

But fifteen minutes later it was done – her pathetically feeble, but hopefully endearing, attempt at domesticity. So it wasn't exactly gourmet – spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread – but it was nothing to be embarrassed about either. And anyway, hopefully her dress would make up for it.

She'd entertained briefly the idea of wearing the blue dress she'd picked up with Kate the month before, mostly as a joke (Danny's eyes had certainly bugged out enough the last time she wore it), but it wasn't right for the mood she was going for tonight. The dress she had chosen was black and simple, elegant but homey, and looked lovely with the offset of the bracelet Danny had given her. C.J. looked around the kitchen one last time, her nerves making her body tingle. The table was set. Two candles she'd managed to dig out of a box marked "Miscellaneous" sat in the middle. She double checked to make sure she'd remembered to plug in the CD player, and checked that the bread she was keeping warm in the oven wasn't actually burning.

CJ wiped her hands on her dress, feeling beads of sweat reforming even as she pulled them away. The sound of a key in the lock broke her out of her reverie.

Danny stepped into their apartment, his hair windswept by the February air and pulling a suitcase on wheels. When he saw what she'd done, he stared, a wide grin breaking out.

"Surprise," CJ said smiling, shrugging her shoulders modestly. "Hey, handsome," she greeted him, walking over to him and taking his suitcase, then helping him get his coat off. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Danny said in a daze, pulling her in for a long kiss. "What's all this?"

"I thought I'd try making you dinner for a change."

Danny was grinning broadly. "Is this gonna be edible?"

She leaned forward to plant a kiss on him. "Can't be any worse than anything they were offering on the plane, really."

"Fair point," he responded happily, wrapping his arms around her.

* * *

_Later that evening._

* * *

Half an hour later, Danny's innocent voice broke through the companionable silence, making C.J. look up.

"Any chance you put The Jackal on this CD?"

They were sitting across from each other at the table, having already made their way through three-fourths of the food. Danny had very sweetly complimented her cooking, which, while admittedly had turned out perfectly fine, nevertheless would have been pretty hard to mess up in the first place.

She caught the mischievous glint in his eye. "Don't press your luck, mister."

"'Kay," he said smiling, and his eyes twinkled. "Seriously, CJ. This is amazing." His voice cracked a bit in that cute way it had.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you," CJ said carefully. "I've been thinking a lot while you've been gone."

"Oh yeah? What's up?" Danny asked promptly, setting his fork down.

C.J.'s face was flushed. Danny looked at her expectantly.

C.J. took a deep breath. She raised her eyes to meet his. "Well," she repeated matter-of-factly, trying to keep her confidence even as a nervous smile tugged at her lips. "We've been dating for awhile now – known each other a lot longer than that. And these past few months have been been...wonderful, actually. For the first in time in my life, I feel really, really happy with someone. Secure."

Danny gazed at her, holding his breath. He reached across the table and took her hand in his.

"And I know it's been kind of a mess, for big chunks of it. I didn't get to spend as much time with you during the administration as we both would have liked. So maybe this is a bit fast – and if that's the case, that's fine – I get it."

"C.J.."

"Yeah," she said, looking up at him briefly, before closing her eyes for a second. "I just mean, it's really confusing – we've been close for so long, but this relationship thing is still kinda new, but - in a way it's not."

"Right."

"And I'm feeling in the spirit of brave gestures. Not that – not that I'm not _eager_ or anything. Because I am. That's kind of the point," C.J. inhaled anxiously. "Maybe 'grand gestures' would have been a better word. I was just – going off your theme. Heroic postures."

"I got it," Danny said gently, leaning forward.

"So – I was thinking," C.J. looked at him, her puppy dog eyes peeping steadily from under her movie-star lashes. "We've been spending so much time together. Since we started seeing each other, I've been really happy. Happier than I've been in a long time. And we're jumping off this cliff together, moving across the country," C.J. said, her voice quiet but excited. "I mean, I'm happy here for the time-being, but maybe it would make sense for us to think about getting a place together at some point. Instead of our own separate places, I mean."

"Would that make sense?" Danny asked innocently, enjoying this.

"Well – maybe it wouldn't. I don't know. But it's what I want. To talk about, at least," C.J. said, her eagerness breaking through the weariness in her face.

"You want to live with me?" Danny asked, a grin lighting up his face.

"That's what I'm getting at."

"I think we can work something out," Danny said softly. He stood up, walking around the table to her and crouching down to kiss her. It was several minutes before he finally truly pulled away.

* * *

_Twenty minutes later._

* * *

The evening stretched on serenely. The dishes were rinsed and soaking, the candles still smoking moments after they had been blown out.

"You want to listen to something?" CJ asked a little shyly, tipping her head towards the CD player, which she'd turned off as they'd started to clear the table.

"Sure," Danny said warmly.

She walked over to the CD player, selecting number 10 and pushing play. She turned, stepping up to him as the first few notes filtered out. He wrapped his arms around her, and she considered putting her head on his shoulder, but decided she wanted to be looking at him for this. It felt so soft and natural to be doing this, and her mind raced with thoughts of the past 8 years as she gazed into his eyes. Danny was looking at her, completely enraptured.

* * *

_It's amazing how you_

_can speak right to my heart_

* * *

"I wasn't sure if this was ever going to happen," Danny said hoarsely.

"You're telling me," C.J. replied softly.

* * *

_Without saying a word,_

_you can light up the dark_

* * *

They swayed back and forth, the words washing over them.

"Danny," C.J. said softly.

"It's okay," Danny said gently. "You don't have to say anything."

He leaned in and kissed her, and just like the first kiss they'd ever shared, she felt dizzy and floating when they finally pulled apart. She leaned in and started kissing him again, slow and soft, then more firmly, feeling the fireworks go off in her stomach. Danny spun her slowly as the music continued, his lips leaving hers for moments at a time so they could breathe. After a minute C.J. finally broke it off, feeling the heat of Danny's breath on her face as he looked at her.

C.J. blinked slowly, and the words came out easier than she'd expected.

"I'm in love with you."

Their eyes locked, Danny froze, his eyes searching hers.

"I think I got distracted there. What did you say?" He breathed.

C.J. looked steadily into his eyes.

"You heard me." She kissed him again, pulling away after a few seconds. Danny leaned forward eagerly, trying to rekindle it, but she put her hands on his shoulders, keeping focused on his face. "I'm in love with you," she repeated. "Ridiculously, stupidly in love with you. Head over heels. You make me crazy, and you make me happy, and I'm glad I jumped off the cliff with you." Danny grinned, radiant, and his eyes were wet. "Say it again," he whispered.

"I love you." She beamed back at him.

She kissed him, and it was a long time before either one of them came up for air.


	10. Founding a Foundation

**What Else, Chapter 10**

**Title:** Founding A Foundation

**Author: **amandasarmada

**Rating:** K+ for language.

**Author's Notes:** This is sort of expositiony and filler fic to help set up C.J. and Danny's new world, but hopefully it's not too painful. c: Starring Rashida Jones as C.J.'s assistant, Mattison Wright.

x-x-x-x-x-x

**March 16, 2007**

"Danny, have you seen my hairbrush?" C.J. was rushing around the apartment as Danny exited the bedroom one morning in mid-March, her blazer buttoned haphazardly and a single earring hanging from her left ear.

"You can borrow mine," Danny offered, calling out to her as he took a step into the kitchen, planning to fetch her some semblance of breakfast.

C.J. made a face. "It's too rough," she muttered to herself, starting to dig through drawers. "A_ha_."

"You know, we've talked about this," Danny told her teasingly, handing her a bagel and a coffee. "You don't really need to worry about being late, you're the boss."

"Sure, but the earlier I get there, the earlier I get back," C.J. shot back, smirking.

"Ah, outfoxed _again_," Danny conceded, leaning in for a quick kiss. "Here, don't forget your paper."

"I'll try to be home by six," C.J. told him, grabbing the newspaper and her purse from the table. "I've got a million interviews to do today, so I should have some funny stories to share."

"So will they, if you don't grab another earring," Danny said smiling. C.J. yelped, feeling her ears.

"You wanna catch a movie tonight?"

"Eh, I was going to work on packing," C.J. answered, rooting around for her keys.

"You've got almost a week. You deserve a night off," Danny urged. C.J. softened. "I guess," she acquiesced, then smiled as Danny handed her the missing keys. "What would I do without you?"

"Still rule the world, but you'd be less cheery about it." Danny smiled. "Go on, you're going to be 'late.'"

x-x-x-x-x-x

C.J. entered the headquarters of Franklin Hollis's company a half hour later, heading over to the elevator that would take her up to her temporary office. She'd finally succeeded in finding premises for her new offshoot foundation, but it would be awhile still before it would be ready.

"Good morning, Miss Cregg!"

"C.J.," she corrected automatically, greeting her assistant. "Did you get together that shortlist for locations we discussed?" She and Mattison had spent the better part of the last few weeks compiling research on various regions spanning across Africa. It had been grueling, as C.J. tried to figure out where to start, and what places needed what level of assistance and what help would be most effective. They'd been focusing on Central Africa for the time being, but there was still so much to cover.

"Already sitting on your desk," the young woman said smoothly.

C.J. smiled. Danny had been right, the lady was a keeper. "What's my first appointment?"

"Lydia Washington. Graduated first in her class from Howard University and third from Yale Law. Former ambassador to Rwanda, you invited her personally to talk to her about the lead consultation job."

"Right," C.J. said nodding, sitting behind her desk and rifling through a folder resting on it. "Well then," she said, looking up, the old energy flooding through her. "Let's get started."

x-x-x-x-x-x

That night C.J. got home later than usual, unlocking the door a little after seven. "Sorry," she said, by way of greeting, walking forward to kiss Danny as he sat comfortably at the table, a book in front of him.

"That's okay. You get anything cool done today you want to brag about?"

C.J. smiled, sitting across from him. "Things are really getting off the ground. I think I found at least six people today. The virtue of interviewing people with Ivy-League doctorates is there's not much incompetence to wade through."

"That's great. Any characters?"

"One guy came in wearing a belt with a glittery red buckle that said 'COCKY' on it," C.J. smirked, rolling her eyes a little. Danny raised his eyebrows.

"Well, that's sumthin'...Did you still want to go see a movie? It doesn't start until 8:30, and I've got dinner keeping warm in the oven," he commented.

"Aww, thank you," C.J. said warmly, watching him stand and walk over to pull the food out. "You know, I never thought I'd want a man to take care of me, but I'm certainly better fed now."

"That's not saying much," Danny smiled, setting down a plate in front of her.

"A movie does sound good," C.J. added, as Danny started spooning food onto her plate.

"Hey, did you read the paper today?" Danny asked suddenly, bending down to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"Ahhh...no, what'd I miss?" C.J. asked, starting to dig in.

"Oh, nothing in particular." Danny smiled. C.J. smiled back, tilting her head a little and wondering about the copy of The Washington Post still sitting on her desk.

**CREGG EXCELS IN NEW LEADERSHIP ROLE, AND PERSONAL "TRAINING" GOING WELL**

_Former correspondent Danny Concannon spoke again today about his feelings for one Miss Claudia Jean "C.J." Cregg, former White House Press Secretary and later, Chief of Staff._

"_I've known for almost a decade how strong-willed and impassioned C.J. is about her work, but it's still something to see every single time she gets involved in a project. She really just blows me out of the water. And more and more, I've been seeing her apply that same investment and fortitude into her personal life, and it's just an incredible experience to be on the receiving end of it. I'm so proud of everything she's accomplished, and there's no one else I can imagine spending my life with. I feel like the people around C.J. are inevitably motivated to do _more_ whenever she's around – her resolve inspires respect, while her compassion inspires greatness. I consider it a privilege to get to watch and encourage her as she ultimately changes the world."_

C.J. read the "article" three times the next day, her eyes brimming over. She really had no idea what to do with this sappy son-of-a-bitch.


	11. Ohio

**What Else? Chapter 11**

**Title: **Ohio

**Author: **AmandasArmada

**Rating: **K+

x-x-x-x-x-x

**March 23, 2007**

"You okay?" Danny asked, squeezing C.J.'s hand. C.J. grimaced.

"I'm sorry, I'm just anxious. Every time I see him he's gotten worse." She struggled to keep the extent of her sadness out of her voice.

"But he still has moments of cogency?" Danny asked gently.

"Moments. I'm not holding my breath though," C.J. sighed. Danny kissed her hand. "Well, you're not alone this time," he replied, giving her a small smile, which she reluctantly returned, her spirits raising just a hair.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"Aunt C.J.!"

C.J. dropped her coat, rushing to embrace the younger woman. "Hogan, oh my god! Look at you!" She laughed happily.

Hogan enveloped her in a hug, beaming. "I'm sorry it's been so long," C.J. whispered in her ear, before finally pulling away.

"You've been helping lead the free world, I get it," Hogan assured her, then turned her piercing gaze to Danny.

"Sooo-" she said expectantly, her eyes narrowing. "You must be the boyfriend."

"You must be the niece," Danny shot back grinning before C.J. could respond, holding out his hand. "I'm Danny. It's great to meet you, you should hear the way C.J. talks about you."

"She hasn't talked about _you_ much at all," Hogan said pointedly. Danny raised his eyebrows good-naturedly.

"She's feisty, I respect that," Danny said to C.J., his eyes twinkling. "Don't know where she could have gotten it from, though." He smiled, taking C.J.'s hand. "Hey, anyone who's protective of C.J. is someone I can side with," he said gently, turning back to address Hogan. Hogan looked at him skeptically, but smiled a little.

"Your dad home?" C.J. inquired, interrupting the moment.

"He's still at work, he said he'd be home before dinner though. Mom just stepped out to grab some stuff from the store." She looked at Danny, her intelligent eyes alert. "Aunt C.J., why don't you bring your stuff up and start unpacking? Give Danny and I a chance to get to know each other."

C.J. snorted. "He's a reporter, Hogan, he'll probably end up getting more out of _you_," C.J. warned her, laughing.

"No no, go for it," Danny said, amused. "By all means, let's give Hogan a chance to put me through the ringer."

C.J. shrugged, resigned, heading back out the door to the rental car.

"Come on," Hogan told Danny, leading him into the dining room. Danny laughed to himself as he took a seat in one of the rigid table chairs.

"This an interview or an interrogation?" Danny asked lightly.

Hogan looked at him with a steely expression, measuring him. "I just figured, since my dad's not here, and Grandpa can't do it, it falls on me to give you the Scary Dad Talk."

"Well, consider me intimidated." Danny gave her a friendly smile, but small enough so that she'd know he wasn't making fun of her. "Give me your worst, Hogan," he said seriously.

"Have you ever been married?" Hogan demanded, scrutinizing him.

"Ah, no ma'am," Danny smiled. "Jumpin' right in there, huh?"

"Do you want to be?"

Danny took a deep breath. "It's something I've thought about. I'm taking good care of C.J. for the time being, and I think she's happy about that."

"You think my aunt needs to be 'taken care of'?" Hogan asked, her eyebrows raised, the note of accusation and skepticism clear in her voice.

"I think people are generally happier when surrounded by people who treat them with love and respect, and seeing as how C.J. is the most loveable and incredible person I've ever met, we're on good footing there," Danny replied smoothly.

Hogan squinted at him, apparently unable to come up with a comeback right away.

"So you _love_ my Aunt C.J.? How long have you known that? And what made you realize it?" she persisted.

Danny took a deep breath. "I've known your aunt for about nine years now, Hogan. We met on the campaign trail, when I was covering Jed Bartlet's run for president. I had feelings for her immediately, and that affection grew as I discovered what a thoughtful, caring, strong person she is. I'd do...pretty much anything for her. Does that answer your question?"

"For now," Hogan said, trying to narrow her eyes but starting to smile. She paused.

"My Aunt C.J. actually did tell me a little about you, you know. She said you were a good man, and I should be nice to you. And that you made her happy."

Danny smiled. "Well, she told me about you too. She told me you reminded her of her mother – that you were smart, and brave, and good at getting people to come together, and she was very excited to meet the woman you're in the process of becoming."

Hogan smiled, standing up. "All right," she drawled. "I guess we can be friends."

Danny grinned at her, his eyes twinkling.

x-x-x-x-x-x

C.J. wrung her hands, standing in the hallway as she paced outside her father's room. "I'm sorry," she apologized to Danny, turning awkwardly away. "I just-"

"Hey," Danny said gently, placing his hand on her cheek. "It's okay, Ceej. We'll go in when you're ready."

"The nurse said he's been on-and-off today. It could go either way," C.J. warned, looking sad.

"C.J., I understand," Danny replied softly, stepping forward to kiss her forehead.

x-x-x-x-x-x

"Cynthia?" Talmidge asked, peering as C.J. and Danny entered the room.

"No, Dad," C.J. said gently. "It's C.J.. Cynthia's daughter."

Tal looked confused for a moment, then seemed to accept it, as if strange people who seemed to know him was an ordinary part of his life.

"Well, you certainly have your mother's beauty, if I'm not out of line saying it, Miss," he said. "Or is it 'Mrs.'?" Tal inquired, his gaze shifting to Danny.

"'C.J.'s' fine," C.J. said softly, walking over to hold his hand, then pausing, remembering the time she'd taken his hand a year ago, only to have him slap at her in fear and confusion. Today, however, he didn't seem to mind.

"I have a daughter named C.J.. The nurse told me," Tal said, as if in confidence. "Very important lady. I remember."

"Hey Dad?" C.J. asked gently. Tal looked up. "Is that me?" he asked, startled.

"Yeah, Dad." C.J. tried to smile. "I'd like you to meet someone, if you're feeling up to it."

"Why wouldn't I be feeling up to it, Claudia Jean?" Tal asked suddenly, giving her a scolding look. "Introduce me to your friend," he said, looking at Danny with a friendly scrutiny.

C.J. smiled a little, gesturing to Danny to walk forward. Danny approached Tal's bed, giving him an easy smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cregg."

"Oh, no, it's Tal. Only my students call me Mr. Cregg." He squinted at Danny. "You look familiar." He paused. "You were one of the reporters in C.J.'s press room. I used to see you on the T.V."

C.J. gasped, as Danny raised his eyebrows. "I have to say, I'm impressed." He smiled.

"I never forget a face. Don't know how many thousands of students I must have had, but I could tell you all of their names if they were standing in front of me. That's important, you know," he said firmly to Danny. "You have to connect with the students. They each have their own problems, you can't just address them as a sea of temporary faces. Children aren't computers that you're programming data into. They require guidance." He squinted. "I'm sorry, did you say your name?"

"I didn't," Danny assured him.

"Dad, this is Danny Concannon," C.J. introduced, before Danny could elaborate. "We live together."

"You got a job, sonny?" Tal said sternly, looking Danny over. "Not that my Claudia can't take care of herself, but she's got better things to do than look after some drifter."

Danny laughed. "I'm a writer, Mr. Cregg. A reporter. I've written a couple books too."

"Danny has a Pulitzer, Daddy." C.J. said, a note of pride creeping into her voice.

"Books, eh? I'm writing a book. Take notes on it, sometimes. Got more back at the house, of course. It's not something you can do in an afternoon."

"Oh really?" Danny asked, seating himself in one of the chairs next to Tal's bed. Tal sat up a little more, nodding fervently. "Oh yes. The system of mathematics is flailing, you see. No – the _teaching_ of mathematics is _failing_. Falling? Maybe..." C.J. realized how tired her father was starting to look.

"Daddy, did you need a break to rest?" C.J. asked gently, squeezing his hand.

"You don't have to _leave_," Tal said sadly, looking around the room and letting his gaze fall back on C.J..

"We wouldn't leave, Dad. You're just looking a little tired. We could go grab lunch, come back and sit with you after you've had a nap."

Tal nodded, slowly. "You do that, Cynthia. It was nice meeting you," he said to Danny. "Will I be seeing you again?"

"Yes, Dad," C.J. said softly, kissing his forehead. "We'll be back in a little while. You just relax."

x-x-x-x-x-x

**THE NIGHT BEFORE**

"So, C.J. tells us you covered the White House for almost a decade?" Jim Cregg asked, taking a bite of his baked potato.

"Ahh, yes. I was part of the Press Corps for about 10 years, then branched out to foreign correspondent for the past five years or so."

"Which did you like better?" C.J.'s sister-in-law Sharon asked curiously. Danny paused, reflecting.

"I think they both had different merits. Being foreign correspondent, I got to travel a lot, meet a bunch of different people - which was amazing, of course, although also depressing to see up-close all the problems in the world, even if my goal was ultimately to try to change them. I loved working at the White House, though. There's an incredible sense of loyalty and camaraderie even in the midst of all the corruption and mind games. It's like a big family sometimes." Danny smiled at the woman next to him. "C.J. could tell you more about it than I could, though."

"I read your book on the First Lady," Hogan volunteered. "I loved it."

"Well, thanks Hogan," Danny smiled at her, a little surprised. "What did you like about it?"

"It was very clear that you had an immense respect and admiration for Dr. Bartlet, but you didn't shy away from the sticky stuff either, you were just very fair overall." Hogan's past four years of writing essays as part of her higher education was evident from her language, and Danny smiled. "It was beautifully written, too. And funny. I wasn't expecting it to be funny. It was also really engaging, your style is very effective..." Hogan shrugged, trailing off. Danny beamed at her.

"Well jeez, you'll have to loan me your copy, Hogan," Jim joked, and Hogan shot something of a dirty look at him. "I left it at school, Dad. I'll try and remember to bring it down next time."

"What about you? C.J. said you're an accountant?" Danny inquired politely.

Jim laughed. "It's a little more interesting than that. Not much though, I admit. I oversee the town budget for Riverside, it's a few miles northeast of here. It consists of a lot of math, and listening to the crazy pleas of the heads of department for the city government. It's Sharon that's got the fun job though, she teaches sixth-grade science." He smiled at his wife.

"Ohh, this'll be fun!" Danny said. He winked at C.J. "Hogan, we've got something in common. My mom teaches middle school too. You must have a million great stories," he encouraged her, and C.J.'s sister-in-law launched in, and soon the table was roaring with laughter.

x-x-x-x-x-x

**THE PRESENT**

It was late Saturday evening, and C.J. had hopped in the shower, leaving Danny to his own devices. Walking downstairs, he came upon Hogan, bent over on the couch with a textbook, notebook, print outs, and assorted highlighters strewn in front of her.

"Midterms?" Danny suggested, making Hogan jump.

"Molecular biology," Hogan informed him.

"Yeesh. Well, I'm sorry to bother you, but I was hoping you could help me with something."

Hogan peered at him intently as Danny put his hands in his pockets, leaning against the doorway.

"Sure," Hogan replied, untangling herself from the mess of study materials. "What's up?"

x-x-x-x-x-x

Late that night C.J. curled up next to Danny in the bedroom that used to belong to her brother Pete, her eyes closed as she sunk into his chest. "Thanks for coming. It means a lot to me." C.J. murmured, kissing Danny's cheek.

"It means a lot to me too," Danny replied, kissing her forehead.

"You were really good with him. Patient."

"I'm a patient man," Danny repeated, smiling.

"You listened to him like he made sense. Even when he didn't." C.J. looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"It made sense to him. He was just having trouble communicating it the way most people do," Danny said. C.J. wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing the side of his head. "I love you, Danny."

Danny inhaled deeply. He loved hearing her say that. He rubbed her arm gently, feeling the worn cotton of the Notre Dame sweatshirt she'd stolen from him. "I love you too," he said softly, as she settled into him, and he listened to her breathing slow as she drifted off to sleep.


	12. A Washington Reunion

**A Washington Reunion**

**Author:** AmandasArmada

**Rating:** K+

**Author's Note: **Review pretty please? Xoxox

**April 14, 2007**

"Wellll, this is bizarre," C.J. said breathlessly, stepping into the East Room. "No - actually, it's _not._ Which in itself is bizarre."

"Articulate as ever, I see," said a soft voice behind them, and C.J. spun around, squealing.

"_Toby!_"

A mix of emotions flooded through her, but she rushed forward and embraced him. As much as the little voice inside her adamantly reminded her that she really would like to take a shot at his head with a frying pan, he was her best friend, and she hadn't seen him in months. She blinked back a few tears as he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tightly.

"I'm glad to see in person that you took my advice," he said, smiling at her and shooting a glance towards Danny. C.J. smiled at the man beside her, squeezing his hand gently.

"Well, isn't this a cozy little reunion," Josh Lyman called out, stepping up to them, Donna Moss at his heels. "You guys gonna dawdle in the doorway all evening?"

"It's good to see you too Josh," C.J. said dryly, pulling him in for a hug despite her snarky comment. "And Donna, that dress is _gorgeous_. You look amazing." The two women smiled warmly at each other, hugging each other happily.

"Danny, my man, good to see you," Josh grinned, giving Danny a slap on the back. "Toby," he said, nodding, his face more closed off than usual, but he reached forward to shake the man's hand.

"It's nice to see you, Toby," Donna said softly, and Toby smiled a little.

"You guys wanna find our table?" Josh said awkwardly, and C.J. pointed to the reserved area slightly to the left of them.

They settled in, C.J. smiling a little as Danny held her chair for her.

"So, I think we've all got some catching up to do," Josh drawled, looking around the table.

"How are the twins?" C.J. asked Toby eagerly, leaning forward.

"They're good," Toby said slowly, smiling as he sipped his glass of water. "Molly's turning into quite the chatterbox. She's got her mother's glare down pat. Huck's quieter - although come to think of it, he's got quite a glare of his own." He breathed deeply. "They can both write their names now. They're starting pre-school in the fall."

"God, really? So soon?" C.J. was amazed.

"They'll be four by then. And it's only half a day." Toby smiled slightly.

"I know, but still," C.J. shook her head. "But who am I to talk? Hogan's going to be graduating college this year."

"Woww," Toby breathed, and it was his own turn to be amazed. "God, that was fast. Remind me when it comes around, would ya? I'll send her a card."

C.J. smiled at him, and Josh cleared his throat. "So how's the Africa thing going, C.J.?"

She wrinkled her face at him, speaking pointedly. "You mean my Trans-African Highway Network, which will eventually span thousands of miles across dozens of countries?"

"That's the one," Josh nodded, taking a long drink of water.

C.J. sighed. "Well, you have to start somewhere. We're focusing on Central Africa for the time-being. It's incredibly complicated. In addition to the logistics of the highway itself and starting a multi-billion dollar foundation, we have to think about political conflicts in the region, which is a pretty enormous can of worms all on its own."

"Which is why it's a good thing C.J. Cregg's at the helm," Danny said supportively, taking her hand. C.J. smiled at him.

"Ugh," Josh laughed, "Who's gonna be able to stomach dessert after all this saccharine...stuff?" Josh waved his hand in the air absently, then grimaced as he received a kick in the shin under the table courtesy of Donna.

Suddenly C.J. stood, and the others, catching her line of sight, quickly followed. The short but stately man gradually approached them, surrounded by a small herd of men and women in black, his wife on one arm, a cane in the other.

"Glad to see you saved us a seat," the former President joked lightly, smiling around the table.

"It's wonderful to see you, Mr. President," C.J. said earnestly. "And you, ma'am."

"It's Jed and Abbey now, C.J." the man said firmly, seating himself. "We're all friends here."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," C.J. replied, smoothing her dress nervously as she sat back down.

"So, it looks like our attempt at a fashionably late entrance was a success." Jed Bartlett smiled at his wife. "We got held up by a hoard of your colleagues, Danny."

"Former colleagues," Danny pointed out.

"That's right!" Jed replied. "That was a bit of a shock, to be honest. Do you have any plans in motion, or are you too busy for now reveling in the joy of Miss Claudia Jean's company?"

C.J. blushed, and Jed glanced at her, a little smug. "Oh yes, Claudia Jean, I know all about that."

"I've got a teaching job set up at USC this fall, teaching journalism and political science," Danny said, and Jed mockingly clutched at his chest at the mention of Notre Dame's long-time rival. "Yes, well. I got tired of the failing gauntlet of journalistic ethics, so now I'm going to shape impressionable young minds so they can fix the problems I watched spring up, while I'm free to enjoy my golden years with my favorite former Press Secretary." He grinned at C.J., rubbing his hand on her thigh under the table.

Jed snorted. "I think you've got awhile before you reach your 'golden years,' Danny."

"Even so," Danny smiled, looking at C.J. Josh raised his eyebrows, and Donna kicked him again, this time more gently, as she smiled at the couple.

"Josh, honey, did you want to get a dance in before dinner?" she asked sweetly. A moment later she'd dragged him from his seat, Josh looking faintly bewildered. Abbey Bartlet was smirking, and Toby was shifting in his seat, a little nervous to be left closer to alone with the President.

"Oh! You know what day it is?" Jed looked eagerly at C.J., leaning forward in his seat.

C.J. looked at him, her face politely blank. "Should I, sir?"

"April fourteenth. You know, sixty two years ago to the _day_, FDR's body was lying in repose in this very room," Bartlet said, looking around in fascination.

"Sir, I think your love of trivia has startled trickling into the morbid," C.J. responded gently, catching Toby's eye and holding back a chuckle.

"Oh, I think that line was crossed long ago," Abbey commented dryly.

"C.J.," Jed said abruptly. "You know, I'm sure it's been awhile since you and Toby were able to catch up. Why don't you two join our new Chiefs of Staff for a moment on the dance floor? There's actually something we'd like to pick Danny's brain about, if you don't mind."

C.J. glanced quickly at Danny, before standing up. "Of course, sir."

"It wasn't an order," Jed said gently, smiling. C.J. smiled back. "I know." She turned to Toby. "Whaddya say? Feel like making a fool of yourself?"

"For you, always," Toby drawled, standing. Danny winked at her as she dragged Toby away.

"So, this might not come as such a huge shock," Abbey began, looking at Danny carefully. "But there has been speculation swirling for quite some time now about books being written focusing on Jed's time in office."

"I might have heard something about that," Danny understated, smiling.

"Well, we had a proposition for you," Jed cut in, exchanging smiles with his wife. "Abbey's interested in a follow-up on your biography, a look at her time as First Lady. As for me, in addition to my memoirs, I'd like a book written by a decorated journalist who will look at my administration in fairness and honesty. I'm giving you first shot at it. We're talking massive press coverage, exclusive interviews, everything." Jed waved his hand.

Danny exhaled, leaning back in his chair. "Well first of all, thank you, Mr. President. And you too of course, Dr. Bartlett. It's a privilege and an honor, truly."

"Does that mean you'll accept, or is that a 'but' coming?" Abbey asked, eying him steadily.

"It's potentially both," Danny said, letting out a sigh. "I didn't want to mention it in front of C.J., but I've actually got a project in the works already. It's kind of a surprise – for her. I don't know how it's going to work out, and I don't know if it will take a long time, or if it's even possible." He sighed again. "It's complicated."

"What kind of project is it?" Jed asked, his insatiable curiosity piqued.

Danny paused. "Do you two know much about C.J.'s father?"

"We know about the Alzheimer's, yes," Abbey said sadly.

"Well – this is a secret, like I said. I'd appreciate your discretion." Danny leaned forward. "Before and at the beginning of his illness, her dad was working on a book. It chronicled his life's work - philosophies on the teaching of math, and how we as a society should be making social changes to enhance education."

The Bartlets watched him, eager for him to continue. "He's got a lot of notes. I only got a glimpse of them, but I think it's possible for them to be edited and compiled into a completed work. I won't know until I get a better look at them next month – I've got something worked out with C.J.'s niece. But I'd love to get it finished for him. It would mean the world to C.J."

Abbey wiped a tear from her eye, gazing at Danny. "That's a _wonderful_ gesture, Danny."

Danny shrugged, smiling. "C.J. has a way of inspiring those in people." He sighed. "But it does complicate things on your end. I'd love to work with you both, but there might be some delay. I want to put C.J.'s project first."

"Well, that's fine, but what's the rush?" Jed asked, looking somewhat confused.

Danny looked around, suddenly nervous. He wiped his hands on his pants, taking a deep breath. "Ah. Now I know what it's like to have ask someone if they're off the record," he joked.

"We're trustworthy people," Abbey said, smiling.

Danny glanced at his lap. "I'd like to present the book to C.J. as a wedding present."

Abbey beamed at him, and Jed opened his mouth to say something, grinning, when C.J. and Toby, accompanied by Josh and Donna, arrived back at the table.

"You guys get your big secret worked out?" C.J. asked, looking down at Danny. "Cuz I'm not sure I can stand another dance with this klutz, and last time I danced with Josh he stepped on my feet. Probably in an attempt to be taller..." She glanced at Donna. "Maybe it'll just be you and me next time, Donna."

"Don't worry, you're spared," Danny said casually, smiling at the Bartlets. "So how about we say a tentative yes, and I'll give you a call later in the week?"

"Sounds good," Abbey said, still smiling brightly and shooting furtive glances at C.J. "You all feel free to pair up how you like, I think I see Amy Gardner over there, and we have some things to catch up on." She kissed Jed's cheek, standing up.

"Did you want to...?" Danny's voice drifted off, holding his hand out to C.J.. "I promise not to step on your feet." C.J. smiled, pulling him up. They crossed over to the dance floor as a slow song came on.

"This definitely brings back memories, doesn't it?" Danny said, glancing around.

C.J. leaned her head on his shoulders, breathing in her favorite scent. "I always hoped I'd get a chance to dance with you at these things. But even when I did, I knew Leo was watching us like a chaperone at the junior prom." She sighed.

"Leo never struck me as so voyeuristic," Danny joked, trying to lighten the mood. She swatted him, then leaned back into his embrace.

"This is nice."

"You're telling me," Danny replied, resting his face in her hair.

"Does it bother you that I wore heels?" C.J. asked quietly, resting contently in his arms. Danny started, choking back a light laugh. "What?...C.J., you can wear whatever ya want."

"Some men don't like it," she replied. "Their dates being taller than them, I mean."

"I'm not one of them," Danny said firmly, laughing a little. "I told you before, I'm happy to be Mr. C.J. Cregg. Besides, it's sexy," he said softly, kissing her ear discreetly. C.J. smiled.

"What did the Bartlets want to talk to you about?"

Danny glanced around to see if any familiar reporters were in earshot, then answered. "They each want me to write a book on them."

C.J. broke away, looking into his face. "Really? That's wonderful," she said sincerely, smiling at him with pride. "Is that something you want to do, though?"

"I think it'd be fascinating," Danny replied honestly. "I think I'm in a unique position; having access to the White House intermittently over the course of the administration, I'm able to share both an insider's and an outsider's perspective."

C.J. hugged him. "That's great, Danny, really. I'm happy for you." She kissed him, and his smile widened. "Should I be worried about what you're going to write about me?" she teased, pouting.

Danny raised his eyebrows. "That depends. Should _I_ be worried about what I'm going to be writing about you?"

C.J. laughed. "Well, aside from the multiple sex scandals and the napalm I secretly endorsed using on civilians, I think my record is clear."

"That's a relief," Danny chortled, pulling her close.

x-x-x-x

"Did you ever think you'd have an ex-President sipping scotch in your living room?" C.J. asked, grinning at Josh.

"Don't make me think about it too much, I'll get nervous," Josh replied, taking a swig of beer.

"How's Santos?" C.J. asked, sipping her grasshopper.

"Almost three hours together, and you're just now asking me that?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

"I read the news, Josh," C.J. said, exasperated. "And we spoke three days ago."

"This gonna stay off the record?" Josh asked, his eyes darting across the room to where Danny stood, chatting with Charlie.

"Please," C.J. said, rolling her eyes. "Oh, I forgot to tell you – whenever you call me for advice, immediately after, I tell Danny. He's writing an exposé in fact, look for it in 2008."

"Sorry," Josh said bashfully. "Old habits die hard, and all that."

C.J. sighed, as Toby joined them. "I think I'm going to call it a night," he said drily.

"Already? You just got here," Josh exclaimed, surprised.

"I don't much fancy hearing what the President might let slip after a few drinks," Toby admitted.

"Abbey's not going to let him get _drunk_," C.J. scoffed, making a face.

"Even so. I've got an early flight." Toby gave C.J. a small smile, which she returned sadly.

"Well, listen – you know I'm going to be gone most of next month, but sometime in June you should come stay with us. We've got a pool, you never know, I might pull a repeat performance," C.J. said wistfully.

Toby smiled, the familiar sadness readily apparent in his eyes. "I'll start shopping for a Hawaiian t-shirt first chance I get," he promised.

"Say hi to Andi for me," Josh murmured. "Give the twins a kiss for me," C.J. added, leaning in for a good-bye hug. Josh and Toby brushed hands tentatively, neither of them fully making eye contact.

"Well, that was depressing," Josh sighed, watching Toby close the door behind him.

"You know, you really have a talent for tactful understatements," C.J. commented, trying to cover up her sadness. "You ever consider being Press Secretary?"

Josh swatted her, downing the rest of his beer.

"You never told me how Santos is doing," C.J. said suddenly, changing the subject.

Josh sighed, grabbing another bottle from the six-pack on the table. "Woah, slow down there, sailor," C.J. grinned, as Josh popped open the beer. Josh made a face at her, then sighed again, looking around the room.

"The Santoses have been fighting lately. Which isn't unusual or worrisome by itself – I mean, god, consider the pressure they're under. But it does put some strain on me and Donna."

C.J. nodded, understanding immediately. "You want some sage advice?"

"I'd love some sage advice," Josh bounced back.

"Just...listen to her when she disagrees with you. You _love_ to argue, Josh, and that's great up on the Hill, or during campaigns, but this is your girlfriend. Your partner. She's not some bible-thumping Republican from B.F.E. trying to get Creationism taught in public schools. Her opinions are worth hearing, so take a step back and hear her out. I guarantee _she's _hearing _you_ out. And at the end of the day, when you get home, let it go."

Josh gaped at her, his mouth hanging open stupidly. "What on EARTH did Danny do to you?"

"I've always been an incredibly wise and emotionally-mature person," C.J. drawled. "I've just kept my mouth shut over the years, 'cuz I get a kick out of watching you make a fool of yourself. But seeing as this is Donna..." C.J. waved her hand. "Speaking of."

"_Josh!_" Donna exclaimed, exasperated. "How many of those have you had?"

"Relax Donna, it's just beer," Josh told her, trying to calm her down.

"Right. So it contains alcohol." Donna sighed. "I'm just saying, if you throw up on the bathroom floor, I'm not cleaning it up."

"What are we all laughing about?" Sam asked curiously. C.J. glanced over, noticing Danny and Charlie now sitting with the Bartlets, gabbing away.

"Me, what else?" Josh said drily.

"Did Toby leave?" Sam asked, his gaze scanning the apartment.

"He snuck out about 10 minutes ago," C.J. informed him. Sam sighed.

"What are we all being strangers for?" Jed called suddenly. "Sam, Josh, Donna – come get some political advice from the former leader of the free world." Jed laughed. "And Claudia Jean, you're welcome to come too." Jed's eyes twinkled.


	13. Yellow Journalism and Red Faces

**Story:** "What Else?"

**Chapter 13:** Yellow Journalism and Red Faces

**Author: **AmandasArmada

**Author's Note:** Haha, I have no idea where this came from. I just thought it was important to show C.J. and Danny fighting a little before I make them get marrrrrrrrrried. *kissy kissy noises* Leave a review if you're nice.

o-o-o-o-o

**April 19, 2007**

"I _hate_ that asshole!" C.J. exploded, storming in the door. "Did you _see_ it?"

"I caught one or two minutes," Danny conceded, looking up at her from the couch, tight-lipped.

"Do you know what his problem is?" C.J. demanded, slamming her purse down on the kitchen bar. "It's coddling. _Male entitlement._ This _royal prick_ thinks he can go on national television and spew whatever bull-headed nonsense pops into his brain, because who's going to question him? He's 55, white, rich, and powerful. Well, I'll tell you what, he's got another thing comin'."

"Well, I'm sure that's part of it," Danny agreed calmly. "I think another is that, as you pointed out, he's a wholehearted prick, and he has a lot of stock in getting you riled up."

"Do you think I don't know that?" C.J. snapped indignantly. "You think I don't realize when I'm being messed around?"

Danny sighed, reaching for her.

"Don't _coddle_ me, Danny!" C.J. whipped her arm away. "I want to be mad and I have a _right_ to be mad!"

"I'm not arguing with you, Ceej," Danny began.

"Well, that's a GOOD CALL!" she shouted. "Because if you did, you'd go down like a five-year-old on the monkey bars at the community park, just like that little _worm_ of a man is going to do the minute I get my hands on a mic!"

"You're going on the air?"

"You're damn right I'm going on the air!"

Danny put his hands up defensively. "C.J., I completely understand why you're upset."

"Oh, do you? Do you _really_? Did you happen to 'catch' the minute where he implied I was sleeping with Greg Brock?" C.J. shouted.

"I did," Danny said quietly, looking down at his hands.

C.J. froze. "Did you _believe_ him?" she gaped.

"I did not," Danny said firmly, meeting her gaze. He took her hand, and this time she let him, though a little begrudgingly.

"C.J., I'm on your side. I'm always gonna be on your side." He pulled her into a quick hug. "And I know you. You don't ever have to defend yourself to me. Ever. Got that?" he asked, tipping her chin up with his thumb.

C.J. leaned into his arms, her breathing still rushed.

"I'm sorry," she said after a moment.

"Nothing to be sorry about." Danny said, kissing the side of her head. "Bob O'Larry is the Tim Russert of hillbillies, C.J. He makes Taylor Reid look like Walter Cronkite."

"I know," C.J. said softly.

Danny hugged her closer. "What do you say we come up with a way to fix it?"

**EARLIER THAT DAY**

"_We're here today with political pundit Bob O'Larry, host of the popular news program 'The O'Larry Factor.' Bob is here to talk with us about his new book, 'Letting Bartlet Be Heartless,' a scathing indictment of President Bartlet's administration and the people behind it. Thank you for joining us today, Bob."_

"_Thanks for having me, John," the stern-faced man said comfortably, settling into his chair._

"_What can you tell us about your book?" the host asked genially._

"_Well, it seeks to serve two purposes – the first, to reveal to the American people the level of incompetence and corruption that was at the heart of the Bartlet presidency, and the second, to illuminate how his staff was exemplary of the disorganization and lack of proper loyalty and patriotism that defines today's Democratic party."_

"_Can you give us an example of that, Bob?" the host asked eagerly._

"_I'd be happy to," Bob said smugly. "First of all – we're all aware, I think, that with the exception of C.J. Cregg, by his final year in office, all of Bartlet's original Senior Staff had either abandoned him, or been expelled from the White House in disgrace." Bob scoffed. "And even the loyalty of Miss Cregg leaves something to be questioned. You'll remember, of course, that Miss Cregg was under suspicion herself during the investigation of the shuttle leak that ultimately lead to the firing of her close personal friend, former Communications Director Toby Ziegler."_

"_What are you suggesting there, Bob?" The host leaned forward curiously._

"_Only that during her time as White House Press Secretary, Miss Cregg established some very close ties with the press. Some might say _too_ close."_

"_And what do you mean by that?" John pressed._

"_Well, as my sources can exclusively reveal, Miss Cregg is actually currently living with and romantically involved with former Senior Correspondent to the White House Press Corps, Danny Concannon. There's also speculation that Miss Cregg maintained a sexual relationship with the reporter, _during_ President Bartlet's time in office. It certainly opens the door to the question of whether Miss Cregg was also involved with Greg Brock, the reporter who leaked Toby Ziegler's information on the shuttle that cost Mr. Ziegler his job and Mr. Brock his freedom."_

**THE PRESENT, NEXT DAY**

"I'd just like to thank you again for joining us here today, Miss Cregg. I'm sure we're all interested in hearing what you have to say," John Flannity smirked at her.

"Well John, I wish I could say I was happy to be here," C.J. said bluntly. "But frankly, I find it appalling that I have to take time away from running a non-profit to dispute the tasteless, unfounded rumors of a yellow journalist."

"So you think this is a waste of time?" John urged her, his eyebrows raised.

C.J. fixed him with a cold stare. "I don't think it's ever a waste of time to ensure we have a well-informed public. I was simply commenting on the failing integrity of the press, or what passes for it these days."

"I take it then that you are denying the allegations Mr. O'Larry made against you and the Bartlet administration."

"John, I am denying the allegations, the implications, and the very _basis_ of O'Larry's comments here. I think what Bob O'Larry knows about the inner workings of President Bartlet's tenure in the White House wouldn't fill a thimble. But enough with the preamble.

"Without having access to the full text, which hasn't been released yet, I can only address the specifics of O'Larry's statements from yesterday." C.J. barreled on. "First, he discussed the changes made to President Bartlet's Senior Staff towards the end of his presidency. The first person to, and I quote Mr. O'Larry here, 'abandon' the president was his Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, who resigned after suffering a major heart attack. Bob O'Larry referred to this behavior as 'disloyal' and 'unpatriotic.' Of course, Leo McGarry can't refute this statement himself, as he suffered another heart attack this past fall, which proved to be fatal. The next to leave was Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman, who led a successful campaign that resulted in the election of President Matt Santos, hardly an act of dispatriotism or disloyalty to the Democratic Party. I would suggest that rather than these actions being symbolic of the supposed 'fracturing' of the party, it is evidence of its growth, as it continues to branch out and service more people."

"I think we both know who you're leaving out though, Miss Cregg. What about the actions of Toby Ziegler?"

C.J. surveyed him calmly. "Toby Ziegler was pardoned. There are no charges standing against him."

"Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon," John pointed out, smirking. "Is a pardon a negation of guilt?"

"No, and I am not condoning Mr. Zeigler's actions. However, Nixon had concealed information of his own illegal activities, which threatened democracy itself. Toby Ziegler revealed information that saved lives, directly risking none in doing so. He acted not to _intentionally deceive_ the American people or to further his own political power, but out of what he believed to be a moral duty to his own conscience. It really does illuminate the priorities of the different parties, doesn't it?"

John Flannity cleared his throat. "And what about you, Miss Cregg? Do you deny being in a relationship with Washington Post reporter Danny Concannon?"

"No. I am dating Danny Concannon, who is no longer associated with any news publication, nor am I any longer an employee of the United States government. We did not partake in any unethical behavior during President Bartlet's time in office. In fact, if you follow Danny Concannon's career, you'll see that he was a foreign correspondent for several years of that time, meaning that we weren't even in the same hemisphere during much of President Bartlet's presidency. The American people deserve more from their media than baseless rumors on the love lives of White House staff, or in this case, former White House staff."

"All right, C.J., I think that's all the time we have for tonight," John commented, eying his producer.

"Of course, the American people also deserve to get their information from reporters who don't make a show of standing on soap boxes, caught up in moral proselytizing about ethics and patriotism, whilst simultaneously embezzling millions of dollars and hiding it in the Cayman Islands."

There was a pause. "...Miss Cregg?"

"Oh, I assumed Bob O'Larry's sources would have 'exclusively revealed' it to you," C.J. said calmly. "He's about to be arrested for embezzlement and tax evasion." She shrugged.

o-o-o-o-o

"_I got something good, C.J.."_

"_You didn't have to do this, Danny."_

"_Ah, I kinda did actually. You wanna hear it or not?"_

"_Well I'm going to hear about it either way, so it might as well be now from you."_

"_How well do you think Bob O'Reilly's book is going to sell once people find out he's going to be receiving his royalty check from inside a prison cell?"_

o-o-o-o-o

"You're kind of a badass, you know," C.J. murmured to Danny that evening, curled up next to him on the couch as he stroked her hair.

"Danny Concannon, Renegade Reporter," Danny joked, trying to deepen his voice in an effort to make her laugh.

C.J. was quiet. "Do you feel bad?"

Danny frowned, craning his neck to catch her eye "Not particularly. Why? Do _you_ feel bad?"

"I just feel weird. I'm not sure I can explain it."

Danny sighed, shifting so they could face each other, and turning off the TV. "Bob O'Larry knew what he was getting into when he mentioned my name. Or he should have, anyway. Don't point the finger, lest ye too be judged, and all that." He took in C.J.'s still-troubled expression.

"I didn't do anything unethical to find the information, C.J. I didn't make anything up, or do anything illegal to obtain the information. He broke the law, and he got caught. That's all there is to it."

"No, I know you're right. I just...it feels a little too much like revenge. Like, it wasn't so much _what_ we did, but the _way_ we did it. I didn't do it for the right reasons. I wasn't seeking justice, I just wanted to watch him go down. It's all just more dirty Washington politics. I never wanted to contribute to that." C.J. sighed, shaking her head.

"C.J., you didn't. I understand why you feel that way, but Bob O'Larry is slandering you and half of President Bartlet's former staff, and making money off it to boot. That, on top of the millions of dollars he stole from the American people. He deserves to go to prison, and you were part of making sure that happened. It's a good thing. Besides, we didn't set him up for a fall, he set himself up by committing a crime, then putting himself on a pedestal and trying to do the hokey pokey on it."

C.J. laughed a little. "Yeah." Danny surveyed her intently.

"Think of it this way. Me doing the digging and releasing the story? It wasn't just for you, so don't go feeling guilty, or like you used me, or like you got rescued by me. In implying that we were sleeping together while we both worked at the White House, and suggesting that was how I got some of my best stories, he was insulting my career too. He was saying I'm not a good enough reporter to succeed on my own merits."

"That's true," C.J. murmured.

Danny continued to stare at her, before coming to the conclusion nothing would fully settle her thoughts on the matter. "I got a call from the Bartlets, after it aired."

"I'm surprised I didn't too, for what I said about Toby," C.J. muttered thoughtfully. "I got an earful from Josh, though." She paused. "What did he say?"

"No, this was after the first interview, with O'Larry. Just nerves, I told them no one is going to take anything Bob O'Larry says too seriously, except his already loyal fans, all of whom are diehard Republicans and wouldn't so much as vote for someone wearing blue in something as trivial as a school board election. He knew that, of course, but like you, it was hard for him not to be riled up. Not so much for what might be said about him, but about you and the others. He said you were like a daughter to him." C.J. smiled. "And anyway, by the time I get a book done on him _or_ the First Lady, it'll have all blown over. There's no point in trying to rush the process to try to keep up, it'll only be a disservice to the work."

"Have you got anything set up on that?" C.J. asked curiously.

"I do! With all the hubbub, I forgot to tell you. I have a meeting with my publisher on Monday. I'll probably try to set some interviews up for over the summer, before the semester starts. With Skype though, it'll be a lot easier than even only a few years ago. But I want to take my time with it, really make it something meaningful."

"Are you going to start with the First Lady's book?"

"It'll be released first, definitely – I'm sure my publisher will want it to trump up excitement and publicity for Bartlet's – and I'll be focusing on her primarily, but I also want to get in some interviews with Bartlet and other close aides while it's still fresh. Then, I can go back and see how their perspectives have changed in hindsight."

"Will you want to interview me for it?"

Danny paused, reflecting. "I think I'll have to – if you want to talk to me, I mean," C.J. nodded, dismissing the unasked question. "I'll just have to talk it over at the meeting, make sure everything's handled ethically and all that. I don't think it'll be such a big deal though."

"Good," C.J. said, settling back into his chest. "I really do love you," she said after a moment, looking pensive. Danny grinned at her, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm sorry they brought you into it," C.J. said softly, and Danny paused, taking a moment to adjust to the change of subject. He frowned.

"C.J., the second they involve you, I'm already brought into it. That's what being in a partnership _means._" He squeezed her hand. She smiled weakly at him.

"You know the funny thing? I didn't mind so much being rescued by you. And it's not like you did all of it. I was doing all right before I dropped that little bombshell."

"You were doing incredible. Talk about being a badass."

"You're sweet." C.J. kissed him.

"I sort of liked rescuing you," Danny admitted, in a raspy voice.

"I know you did," C.J. said softly, letting her sink into his embrace. Danny kissed her head again, taking a moment to inhale the flowery scent of her shampoo.

"Come on," Danny said, standing up and pulling her with him, gently putting his arms around her as he guided her out of the living room. "You've had a long couple of days. I'm drawing you a bath."

"You should join me."


	14. Africa and Anxiety

**Title:** "What Else?"

**Chapter 14:** Africa and Anxiety

**Author:** AmandasArmada

**Rating:** T

**Authors Note:** This is angstier than usual, but I felt I needed to lead up to the next chapter. Stay with me, good things are coming!

o-o-o-o-o

**April 27, 2007**

It was early and she was lying in contentment under strewn sheets, her mind already drifting towards work. There was less than a week before she left for a long-anticipated trip to several areas scattered across Central Africa, hoping to scout out locations for her highways project. It was a weighty task -

she would be meeting with leaders of the regions, viewing potential locations, and working with a crew to organize the different departments of labor. She'd been pulling long hours for weeks now, trying to get ready, and even when she was home, the trip had never been far from her mind. As it approached, she could feel herself getting tenser and tenser, subconsciously pulling away whenever Danny tested the waters of her anxiety, eager to keep things light.

"I'm going to miss you, you know." Danny's voice broke the peaceful morning air, drifting gently over her. Clearly his thoughts weren't far from hers.

She smiled at him, still sleepy even after their morning rendezvous. "You miss me when I leave for 9 hours to go to work," C.J. scoffed, teasing him as he rolled in the bed, giving her shoulder a soft kiss.

"Not gonna dispute it. Gave up any attempts at dignity long ago." He gave a soft laugh.

C.J. curled up closer to him on the bed, getting cozy under the thin sheet draped over her legs. "You know, I've been thinking," she said after a moment. "Maybe when I get back, we should start looking for our own place."

Danny looked at her, surprised but pleased at the change of subject. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. It's about time, don't you think?"

"Well, I wasn't going to be the first to say it-" he let out an exaggerated gust of air at the gentle nudge she gave to his stomach. She laughed, and his face broke out in a grin as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I've had other things on my mind," C.J. defended herself, crawling up his chest a little to kiss his cheek.

"Ah'kay," he said softly, smiling at her sleepily. She grinned mischievously.

"Come on, Fishboy. You can go back to sleep in a little bit, first you're going to make me breakfast."

o-o-o-o-o

Her pleasant wake-up call aside, upon stepping out the door, her morning had quickly escalated into the day from Hell. It had rained that morning and the roads had been terrible, and she chastised herself once again for putting off moving out of the condo and somewhere closer to the office. She was almost forty-five minutes late by the time she got there, and her schedule was a wreck. The skies had cleared by lunchtime, but she wasn't able to enjoy it, as she'd had to rearrange a meeting and was stuck in her office the whole day, her back to the window. She'd pulled Carol out of the media office to help her field appointments, as Mattison worked the phones and tried to hold off the piranhas. All day she'd

been forced to shake off calls from Josh, and by five o'clock her crankiness was running on Toby levels. She had to stay late for a conference call with Hollis, whose flight had been delayed because of the weather that morning, and even as she picked up her coat at 7:00, she knew her day wasn't over – she had a call at 10:30 that night with a representative in Uganda.

It had been another exhausting day, and C.J. dropped her bag onto the kitchen bar with the intent of changing her clothes and going for a soak in the jacuzzi before curling up in bed, hoping to relax before her phone call. Stepping into the living room, she was surprised to see Danny home already; she knew he'd had a dinner meeting with a representative from his publishing company in San Diego and he'd warned her that morning he might be late.

"Hey stranger," she murmured, dropping into the living room and seating herself next to him on the couch before leaning in for a kiss. He smiled at her, though it didn't quite reach to his eyes. She frowned a little, her mind still on her day, but eager to get rid of the squeezing feeling in her stomach that seemed to arise whenever he had that expression.

"Danny? Everything okay?" She asked softly.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He gazed blankly at the television screen, which was tuned into a game.

"You sure? You have that look."

"I have a 'look'?" he inquired, turning his head and frowning slightly. She gave him a small smile. "Sometimes, you have a 'look,'" she told him.

"I'm sorry. I'm just-"

He sighed warily. He honestly didn't have any idea how to bring it up with her. They'd discussed it before and he'd mentioned his concerns, but he didn't know how to broach the subject more deeply without risking her losing it. He didn't want her to see him as controlling, and yet. It was all he could think about. She was leaving in a few days, and as his window of opportunity closed, the sick feeling of anxiety threatened to overwhelm him.

"I guess I was just thinking about the Congo," he said lightly, trying to gauge her reaction. To his chagrin, she caught on immediately, her brow furrowing.

"Danny, I have to go."

"I didn't say you didn't."

"We have pictures and formal studies and piles of detailed reports on the region and what steps we should take, but I _have_ to go see it myself. I'm their leader, I can't ask people to go in and help a region I'm not willing to visit myself."

"You're the president of a non-profit C.J., not a commander-in-chief," he spit out, the desperation in his voice audible.

She eyed him, her voice soft. "I have to go speak to the people there in person. We have to be seen as allies, not colonialists."

"How are you not going to be seen as colonialists if you come in guns blazing?" He urged.

"It won't be 'guns blazing'. Danny, I'm doing all of this right, I promise. I'm going to be safe." She reached for his hand.

"Going in safe means going in with guns, which isn't likely to make the locals feel good." He looked at her pleadingly, and she sighed, feeling terrible.

"Danny, we've done a lot of research on this, these are experts, I'm prepared. I can't just turn my back on it, this is so important-"

"**What about Billy Price**?" he blurted out, his voice rising far more than he intended it to.

The look on C.J.'s face cut him straight in the gut. She stared at him, crestfallen, and her voice became uncharacteristically quiet.

"Danny. Did you just say?"

"I'm sorry C.J.," he replied desperately. "I'm sorry, I'm just, I'm going out of my mind-"

"Shut up. _Danny, shut up!_" Her voice became dangerously low again. "Do you think that name hasn't crossed my mind over and over again in the past three months?" She tried to catch her breath, as Danny gazed at her, looking anguished. "I haven't..._forgotten_, Danny. Do you think I've forgotten?"

Danny just looked at her, frozen with fear and anxiety. Her voice was rising now, her face twisted.

"Danny, I sat with his wife when it happened. I was there while we were waiting for news, and I was the one who told her – I _told_ her! I stood with her and Billy's editor while she broke down, I held her hand as she wept, I listened as she wailed in grief about her children, you think I've forgotten about Billy Price?"

"C.J., I wasn't trying to-"

"Do you honestly think I could be in love with you, _you_ Danny, and not think every day about Billy Price?" she asked, tears starting to well in her eyes. "Do you know what thought passed my mind when I was sitting there with her? I was waiting with that man's wife, and in the middle of a prayer for him, suddenly I was struck with a wave of _relief -_ sick, shameful waves of relief and one resounding thought. '_Thank God it's not Danny._' You think I don't know how you must be feeling?"

"Then how can you be mad at me for being scared?" he whispered, his eyes searching her face.

"I'm not mad at you for being _scared, _I'm mad because you're being patronizing! I'm not stupid, and God knows I'm not particularly brave, not about things like this. I've been _shot at_ Danny, I've had stalkers and death threats and I wasn't stoic about it, I have no heroic desire to go into a place where I'm risking my life. We're going to be smart about it, I'm not going to be reckless, I know how and when to keep my mouth shut. I have a security team that was handpicked by Ron Butterfield, I've had multiple hour-long conversations with Kate Harper on safety procedures tailored specifically to the different regions in each country. How can you tell me you think I shouldn't go? You spent years in dangerous foreign countries, you think I wasn't keeping track of where you were going? You think I was fooled by those cutesy messages you used to send me when you were on the road? I'm not _stupid_ Danny, I know what kind of stuff you were getting up to-"

"I'M NOT YOU!"

She stared at him.

"I _know_ I can't stop you, I know I have no right to ask you to stay, but god DAMN it C.J., I have a right to be terrified!"

"No, Danny," she said quietly. "You don't. Because I'm scared enough for both of us, and I need you to not be scared."

He stared at her silently, and it clicked. He took a deep breath, sighing as he wrapped her in his arms. Finally, he knew what she needed from him, and for now, that would be enough to get him through it. He closed his eyes, squeezing her tightly, trying to put himself in the mindset he'd fallen into 7 years ago, when he'd heard the gunshots at Rosslyn.

"Okay, C.J.," he muttered, rubbing her back gently as he breathed in her scent. He kissed the side of her head, sighing. "Okay. I'm your guy."


	15. Africa, Alzheimer's, and Arithmetic

Chapter 15

Abstracts on Africa, Alzheimer's, and Arithmetic

Author's Note: LOL, this chapter is a mess, but I love it.

o-o-o-o-o

**May 2, 2007**

Rwanda, 9:30 AM local time

It had been an incredibly long flight. As the plane started its descent, C.J. closed her laptop, settling back, her mind still on the entry she'd been working on in her personal journal.

Getting off the plane accompanied by Charlie and three other members of her staff and a small detail of security, C.J. was grateful to see Mattison already waiting for her at the terminal in Kigali International Airport. Mattison greeted her with a quick hug, introducing her to her companion, Amahoro Munezero, who would be her guide for her 3 days in Rwanda, before she headed north to Uganda, then west to survey the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cregg. I hope I can be of assistance to you." Amahoro smiled at her, her warm demeanor instantly putting C.J. at ease. "I know you have much to do, but would you like a quick tour of the city?"

C.J. quickly agreed, wanting to get her bearings and avoid any potential conflicts at the same time. Her guide continued to smile becomingly as they set off, only pausing to arrange for her baggage to be left at the hotel.

C.J. had visited more nations' capitals than she could keep track of, but this time in particular she was struck by how modern everything was, as she followed the woman down the bustling streets. Something about her expression must have caught Amahoro's attention, for as they passed by a gleaming skyscraper, C.J. was jarred out of her reverie as the woman broke off her casual explanation of the region's history to ask her if something was wrong.

"No, of course not," C.J. assured her, reflecting. "I'm sorry. It just...it always makes me sad," C.J. said carefully, not wanting to offend the woman. "You must know how Africa is presented in America," she said softly. "And of course it's important to highlight the problems your people are facing, but Africa is more than starving children and brutal corruption."

Amahoro smiled sadly.

"It is the same reason you make Africa too small on your maps," she said sagely. "If you see us as uncivilized and helpless, you can justify our suffering – and at the same time, hail yourselves as brilliant heroes when you decide how to fix our problems for us."

C.J. nodded, catching the insinuation in her words. "Well, I'm glad to know you're going to call me out when I need it," she said firmly. "I won't forget this is your home, Miss Munezero," she said gently. "But I really would like to help you, and I think if we work together we can make a real positive difference in people's lives, as your nation and its neighbors continue to grow." Amahoro smiled.

o-o-o-o-o

**May 4, 2007 - Ohio**

**[Hogan Cregg] 7:29 PM:**

Hey, was that your flight that just landed? I'm running a little late, I just got here. Literally in the parking lot.

**[Aunt CJ's Boyyyfriend] 7:30 PM:**

Yep, just exiting the terminal now. See you in a minute!

Thanks again for offering the ride, BTW.

**[Hogan Cregg] 7:30 PM:**

It's nbd, I'm home 4 the weekend anyway. Besides, this way I can help you sneak those boxes out before mom &amp; dad get home.

**[Aunt CJ's Boyyyfriend] 7:31 PM:**

I can see you're the brains of this operation. Is that you by the blue car?

**[Hogan Cregg] 7:31 PM:**

Yep. I see you. Hold on, i'll come help you with your bags.

o-o-o-o-o

**May 4, 2007 – Rwanda**

She got back to the hotel late that night, the exhaustion and still screwed-up sleep cycle combined with the ungodly heat making her slump into the room and fall onto the bed.

It was the first time she was able to get online since arriving. C.J. curled up on the bed with her laptop nestled on her stomach, immediately clicking over to her email. There was a message from Danny, dated two days ago.

**From: **Danny Concannon

**To: **C.J. Cregg

**Subject: **Sappy Love Letter #1

05.02.2007 11:08:17 PM

_Hey, you. I hope you're settled in and meeting good people. Things are same ol', same ol' around here, although the condo seems quieter with just me and Gail hanging around. I visited the campus today - I think I counted 10 fountains before I got out of the place. Not exaggerating. It's gorgeous though. (Gotta get that in to protect my own butt, since I'm using my work email to send this.)_

_I love you and I'm thinking about you, and I'm so proud of you and all you're accomplishing. Drop me a line when you get access to the internet, but don't let your favorite nimrod boyfriend distract you too much. It's hard, I know – I'm impossible to get out of your mind, there's no shame in admitting it – but I'll still be here waiting patiently when you get back, ready to sweep you off your feet all over again._

_Miss you._

_Love,_

_Danny_

C.J. smiled, shooting off a quick reply before curling up with her pillow and letting her mind wander to the man waiting for her thousands of miles away.

o-o-o-o-o

**May 4, 2007**

"Sorry, there's stuff all over the place," Hogan apologized, stooping a little under the slanted attic ceiling.

"I've seen worse," Danny smiled.

"Dad and I tried to keep most of his stuff together," Hogan explained, gesturing to the pile of boxes in the corner. "Like I said before, he's got dozens of notebooks, but if you look through them, some of them are research problems, some of them are prose, some is just-" Hogan put her hands up, sighing. "And they're dated, but a lot of them probably aren't accurate. Some of them are journals before he got sick, some he was working on as he started to get worse - a couple of them he filled after he went to the home, and I started storing them here." She looked at Danny, weariness etched into her young face. "You sure you want to do this?"

Danny looked up at her from where he stood, flipping through one of the composition books. "I'm sure I want to try."

**From: **C.J. Cregg

**To: **Danny Concannon

**Subject:** Re: Sappy Love Letter #1

05.04.2007 7:35:04 PM

_Hey, you._

_Things are both exhausting and exhilarating here. It's complicated, because not only do we have to travel back and forth to look at potential sites, we have to meet with representatives of each local government, and talk over what exactly we'd like to do, look at environmental impact studies, as well as start negotiating about the details and who we're going to hire. We knew already that some regions insist on local citizens doing all the labor, which we're happy to comply with, but of course that's complicated too – before we invest money on them, we have to make sure those workers are properly trained, and reliable, and...you get the idea._

_Many of the people are nice though, and smart, and the area is beautiful. I can't say I've seen 10 ornate fountains, but it has its charm._

_It might be awhile before I'm able to get back online, but I'll be thinking of you. Thanks for your sweet message, it was a welcome respite from two-hour discussions about terrain and geopolitics._

_Love,_

_C.J._

_P.S. You best keep that butt protected, I've got plans for it._

o-o-o-o-o

**From: **Danny Concannon

**To: **C.J. Cregg

**Subject:** Re: Re: Sappy Love Letter #1

05.04.2007 08:01:28 PM

_You're such a trooper. I'm gonna have a grasshopper and a gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream waiting for you when you get back. I miss you, but I've got Gail to keep me company. I suspect our little lovechild is pining for you though – it's hard to tell with a goldfish, but I think I spot a definite droop to her tail as she circles around her bowl._

_Keep your head up, you're doing such a good job. I love you._

_-Danny_

_P.S. Don't worry, I was kidding. Gail is fine._

o-o-o-o-o

**From: **Danny Concannon

**To: **C.J. Cregg

**Subject:** Sappy Love Letter #2

05.05.2007 7:47:12 PM

_Hey, gorgeous. I know you won't be able to write back for awhile, so don't worry about leaving me hanging. I just wanted to say hi._

_I've been thinking about you all day today. I was watching a briefing on C-Span, and it got me thinking about our early days. The new Press Secretary is good, but she's got nothing on you. Oh, and Josh is in trouble again with Congress by the way, surprise surprise. I thought it was a riot, but you could almost see the steam coming out of Donna's ears during the interview. I'll see if I can find a clip for you to watch when you get back, 'cuz it was something._

_...So much for sappy love letters, huh? Even in cyberspace Washington finds a way to intrude. Let's see if I can do better._

_C.J. - _

_I've pulled my wallet out six times today, just to look at your picture. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I only wish my writing talents translated over to poetry, because you'd make one hell of a muse. _

_God, I love you. Get some work done out there, C.J., so you can hurry home._

_Love,_

_Danny_

o-o-o-o-o

**From: **Danny Concannon

**To: **C.J. Cregg

**Subject:** Sappy Love Letter #3

05.07.2007 8:04:54 PM

_I decided to throw all caution to the wind, and my dignity while I'm at it. How often does a man get to express his love to a woman stuck almost 10,000 miles away? If this isn't the time to be romantic, I don't know when is._

_By the way, I've resigned myself to the fact that you might laugh at me for this, but I've come to realize that there are worse things in the world than making C.J. Cregg laugh. I just wish I was there to hear it._

_So, here goes._

_I had a dream about you last night. It was good to hear your voice. I miss your smile, and the smell of your hair. It's intoxicating. You wouldn't be the woman I fell in love with if you weren't out there saving the world, but hey, a guy's allowed to miss you, right?_

_I wish I could hold your hand and whisper in your ear what you mean to me, and how much you inspire me._

_I love you._

_-Danny_

**From: **C.J. Cregg

**To: **Danny Concannon

**Subject:** Re: Sappy Love Letter #3

05.10.2007 9:56:27 PM

_You're so sweet. I'm sorry I'm so busy, please don't think I don't appreciate your messages. They light up my day. I miss you._

_I'm past Uganda and into the Congo now, and I'm swamped with work. I'll tell you about it when I get home, I promise. For now though, I have a 4 AM wake-up call. I'm sorry to be so rushed, but I wanted to say hi at least. Believe me, I'm thinking about you too._

_Love,_

_C.J._

**From: **Danny Concannon

**To: **C.J. Cregg

**Subject:** Re: Re: Sappy Love Letter #3

05.10.2007 10:13:53 PM

_Heyyyyy. You're 10,000 miles away from home, in a foreign country where you don't know anyone, giving up almost a month of your life to help people in need. What are you apologizing for?_

_Chin up, beautiful. In two weeks, I'm going to have you in my arms again. I'm ecstatic, don't worry about me._

_Love,_

_Danny_

o-o-o-o-o

"How's he doing today, Jen?" Danny asked the nurse as he passed her in the hall of the nursing home.

"Cranky. He might not want you to stay long," she warned him.

"Thanks for the head's up," Danny replied, taking a tentative step into the door.

"I know you," Tal said, gazing at him from his chair facing the TV.

"Danny Concannon. I like to talk to you about your life, and the book you're writing," Danny reminded him, giving him a friendly smile.

"You're dating C.J." Tal remembered.

"That's right," Danny smiled. "You mind if I sit down? If you don't feel like visiting today, I understand."

"It's Jerry's birthday today. We're having a party for him later. You should stay, there'll be cake."

"Well how could I turn that down?" Danny seated himself a few feet away.

Tal was quiet. "I can't remember when C.J.'s birthday is."

Danny looked at him, not sure if he should be supportive and reassuring, or not make a big deal out of it. "You want a hint?"

"Yes," Tal said desperately.

"It's in October."

Tal was quiet for a moment. "It's the eleventh, isn't it." It was a statement, rather than a question.

"You got it." Danny gave him a smile. Tal still looked uncomfortable.

"I don't mind the company, but do you mind if we just watch the television for awhile? That movie with the camera tricks and Tom Hanks playing the special fella is on again."

"Sure Tal," Danny said gently.

During the week and a half he'd spent so far in Ohio, Danny had went and visited Tal every day, but the lengths of the visits varied wildly. Sometimes Tal got irritated and impatient after five minutes, sometimes they would sit there for hours, talking in fits and bursts as Tal went through the books of puzzles and sudoku Danny had brought him. They'd talk about politics and history – concepts, more than the details, as Tal's inner timeline took Danny on a rollercoaster of the past few decades.

Some days Tal recognized him, often he did not, but Danny remained diligently by his side, jotting down notes on Tal's ramblings and word confusion, which were made up for during those moments where he'd stumble on a nugget of wisdom. It soon became clear to him that despite Tal's frequent confusion, he was the direct predecessor of C.J.'s passion. It propelled him forward, and eventually Danny started to feel as if he owed this work just as much to the man sitting in front of him as to the woman who'd inspired it.

o-o-o-o-o

**From: **Danny Concannon

**To: **C.J. Cregg

**Subject:** Sappy Love Letter #4

05.17.2007 7:11:24 PM

_Hey, now who's elusive? Sorry for the lack of messages. I thought if I kept busy while you were gone, it'd make the time go faster, yet it seems I've been neglecting my boyfriendly duties. Let's see if I can make up for that. _

_Since you're a fan of actual written (or in this case, typed) lists, I decided to go ahead and make one for you. _

_This is a brief list of things I love about you. (It is not comprehensive by any means. I'm going with physical stuff only, actually. In case it's not obvious by now, your presence is sorely missed.)_

_Note - if my cheesy adulation makes you want to run for the hills, too bad – you can't get much further away than you are now. That works in my favor here, too – if you want to pretend you're annoyed instead of smitten by my devilish charms, my head is safe from your loving whacks. _

_So without further ado:_

_A FORMAL TYPED LIST OF C.J. CREGG'S ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES _

_By Danny Concannon_

_1) Eyes – beautiful and sparkly, impossible not to get lost in. Sometimes highlighted by sexy glasses. Va va voom._

_2) Hair – very very soft and smell-goody. Looks good at any color and length. Fun to run hands through._

_3) Cheekbones – gorgeous. Very kissable._

_4) Smile – also gorgeous. Even more kissable. Can light up any room, although preferably it's one I'm in._

_5) Nice lips – excellent to kiss; soft and taste GREAT._

_6) Voice – sultry and caring and rapturous_

_...Okay, this is making me miss you too much, so I'm going to leave it at that. I'm counting the days, C.J. I love you._

o-o-o-o-o

**May 19, 2007**

The first time she'd entered Danny had sprung up, offering them their privacy, but Hogan shook her head, seating herself opposite Danny on the other side of Tal's bed, where he was lounging that day. Tal greeted her as 'Claudia Jean', and Hogan smiled and held his hand. Hogan pulled a book out of her purse, reminding Tal what had happened last time before jumping into the story. Tal closed his eyes peacefully, jumping in on occasion to prompt a question.

"You come here often?" Danny asked after the second visit the next day, as they exited together after a few hours, the wind blowing Hogan's long blonde hair in a billowing train behind her.

Hogan paused. "I try to come down once or twice a month, when I can. For the weekend, you know."

Danny smiled at her gently, and Hogan shrugged, clearly uncomfortable to be put in the spotlight. "It's not so much. I usually pick books I wanted to read anyway," she joked, smiling. "This is me," she said softly, gesturing to the old dark blue Ford in front of them.

"Well, I'll see you around, then," Danny said lightly, turning away. Hogan turned to him, looking at him from over the open car door.

"How's it going?" Hogan called to him, curious.

"It's...going," Danny replied, nodding to her and continuing to his rental car. After a moment, he turned back, seeing her still watching him, apparently lost in thought.

"Hey Hogan?" he called.

"Yeah?"

He smiled at her. "It's going to be good."

o-o-o-o-o

**From:** C.J. Cregg

**To: **Danny Concannon

**Subject:** Re: Sappy Love Letter #4

05.20.2007 8:43:18 PM

_I'm sorry it's been so long since a proper letter. Things have been really rough here. I didn't want to talk about it until I got back, because I didn't want to worry you, but keeping myself from talking to you isn't an option right now, and I can't think about anything else. I don't know if I can bear going into details, but I think you already know anyway. Please just remember that I am safe, I'm being smart, and I'm going to be back with you soon._

_Do you remember when we were at my brother's, and Sharon asked you which you liked better, being a foreign correspondent or working in the White House? You said something about it being hard to see the suffering up close. I understand exactly what you mean. (Don't worry, Danny. This email is secure. Let's not forget my sponsor here is something of an expert on computers.)_

_God._

_I know this isn't a fun, romantic response to your incredibly lovely letter, but I think you've been waiting for this. In fact, I think that's why you wrote it in the first place, to try and distract me from what you knew I'd be seeing. You're really wonderful that way._

_I remember the way my heart jumped when Franklin Hollis told me he was giving me the opportunity to focus on a "single-issue", to find _one_ problem and give it my all to try and solve it. That's impossible, Danny. Even as I'm up to my ears in the technical difficulties of repairing and building infrastructure in a terrain as vast and harsh as the DRC, I'm learning about the people. It's impossible not to care._

_Rwanda has the United States beat in its representation of women by a long shot -but this doesn't change the fact that women face brutal domestic violence. They beat their wives, Danny. They rape them. I know the United States is hardly in a place to pose moral superiority on that front given our own DV epidemic, but I can sure as hell still be outraged and heartbroken about it._

_The DRC is worse. I'm telling you this because I have to say something, and I'm sorry, because I know you're going to be worried out of your mind. We left the worst of it four days ago, though, moving west. In a week I'm going to be home. I'm taking a week off work when I get back, I need a break._

_I'm sorry to put this on you, I wish I could be the presence of solace and optimism you are for me right now. I miss you, Danny._

**From: **Danny Concannon

**To: **C.J. Cregg

**Subject:** Re: Re: Sappy Love Letter #4

05.20.2007 7:48:31 PM

_You are out of your mind, C.J., for worrying about how I'm going to feel. You don't ever have to hide anything from me, or cover it up out of fear it's going to upset me. I need to be your rock right now, not the other way around._

_I'm so glad you're taking time off. I've been burying myself in work, trying not to think about you, and I can't wait to scoop you into my arms in that airport. I know there's a lot you want to get done, but why don't we plan a trip for this summer? We've got Hogan's graduation in June, and Independence Day with the Bartlets in July, but that still gives us almost two months before the semester starts. When's the last time you took a real vacation? A decade ago? I want to take you somewhere amazing. Hawaii, Paris, Rome, you name it. You wanna take a cruise to the Bahamas? I can take you on a cruise to the Bahamas. We can go snorkeling, gatecrash a party for some of Gail's friends._

_Skiing. You ever been to Switzerland? Me either. I think some time in neutral territory would be perfect._

_Six more sleeps until I see you again._

_When you're sad, or scared, or anxious, think about me. You can bet I'm thinking about you._

_Love,_

_Danny_

**From:** C.J. Cregg

**To:** Danny Concannon

**Subject:** Re: Re: Re: Sappy Love Letter #4

_05.23.2007 4:24:42 AM_

_I know you'll tell me not to apologize, but I'm sorry about my last letter. It was just a particularly rough day._

_I can't wait to see you. We're going to have such a nice summer. A vacation sounds incredible, by the way. I have a lot I want to talk about when I get home. Good things, don't worry._

_Love,_

_C.J._


	16. Home Again

Chapter 16: Home Again

Author: AmandasArmada

Author's Note: Review please!

Rating: T (an explicit version is up on AO3).

**May 26, 2007**

LAX, mid-afternoon

"Well, talk about _déjà_ vu," Danny said grinning, pulling C.J. into an enormous hug. "God, I missed you," he whispered, burying his face in her hair.

C.J. pulled on the collar of his jacket, enveloping him in a kiss that lasted at least thirty seconds. "I missed that," she murmured, making Danny laugh.

"There's the heartfelt C.J. Cregg we all know and love," he chuckled, smiling widely. C.J. pulled him into another hug, breathing in the familiar scent.

"I missed you," she murmured into his ear, running one hand through his curls, the other over his chest.

"C'mon, let's get you home," Danny whispered, brushing his lips gently with hers.

o-o-o-o-o

She rolled over in the bed, smiling when she remembered where she was, the familiar arm stretched over her, their legs entwined.

"Morning, sleepy head," C.J. teased, kissing Danny's forehead. "You were out like a light last night."

"Mm, jet lag," Danny muttered, not opening his eyes. He stifled a yawn, then put his arm back around her.

"Jet lag?" C.J. repeated, confused. "Did you go somewhere?"

Danny opened his eyes slowly, the slip dawning on him. "Oh...I decided to visit my folks while you were away. Couldn't keep pining away for you forever," he smiled. It wasn't technically a lie, either, as he'd made the drive up from Ohio to Michigan only three days ago.

"Oh. Why didn't you mention it?" C.J. asked curiously.

Danny smiled. "I was too excited to hear details about your trip." He leaned in to kiss her. "And when we got home, I had other things on my mind..."

C.J. laughed loudly as he leaned over her, covering her face in kisses. "I love you," he said smiling, his eyes shining as he looked down into hers. "I love you too," C.J. murmured, rubbing her hand across his scruffy cheek.

"Promise you didn't fall for some dashing Rwandan while you were away? Maybe someone taller?" Danny asked smiling, as he started kissing her neck.

"I like my men small enough that I can throw them around," C.J. explained, giggling as he worked his way to her collarbone.

"You could throw Glen Allen Walken around," Danny retorted, kissing the bottom of her chin.

"That's nice. Promise you'll never bring up a Republican again when we're in bed together," C.J. whispered.

"Yeah, ah'kay," Danny replied, smiling to himself.

A minute later Danny's favorite sound was floating around the room, as C.J.'s whimpering moan escaped her throat.

"...I love that," she murmured, as Danny's lips drifted down, wrapping gently around a nipple. "I love you," he replied, smiling up at her. "Don't stop," she encouraged him, and his smile widened. His hands were rubbing all over her, taking in how soft her skin was, and how much he'd missed her touch. Her eyes were closed, a lazy smile on her face, as he rubbed her sides and kissed her stomach.

"I love you, Danny." He smiled, squeezing her hand. "This is perfect," she added.

He crept back up to look into her eyes, taking her face in his hands and kissing her softly. "How do you want it?"

She gazed up at him, smiling. "Slow."

o-o-o-o-o

It was a day that was meant to be spent in bed. C.J.'s body was still trying to adjust to the time difference, and she managed to find things to do with Danny that would keep her in bed and allow for brief naps throughout the day, letting her rest while ensuring she'd be able to sleep that night and start getting her sleep cycle back on track. Danny wasn't complaining, as he blissfully reacquainted himself with her body.

That evening, after a dinner served in bed followed by another round of lovemaking, she lay curled up next to him in their bed, her head resting on his chest. "I really missed you," she said softly. Danny's heart swelled. "You make me really happy, Danny." She lifted her head, looking down at him as she rested her chin on the arm she had draped across his chest. "I want to make sure you know."

"I know." He ran his fingers through her hair, using the other hand to trace her cheek.

"I worry sometimes I don't show it." She bit her lip. "That you think I'm still too wrapped up in work, or avoiding my feelings for you, or that you think-"

"I think you're a goddess, C.J."

She smiled, looking down. "Shut up."

"I will not." He sat up, taking her face into his hands and kissing her. "I love you, C.J.," he said quietly, his deep blue eyes meeting hers.

It made her pause every time he said it. A couple of guys had said it to her before over the years, but this was different. Every time Danny uttered the words, there was more than casual domesticity. It was never a thoughtless statement thrown out as a substitute for "have a good day" or "see you later", or some cheap ploy to get her into bed – every time, he managed to convey a sense of vulnerability and emotion in his words.

"I love you too." She settled back into his chest, her eyes closed, basking in the scent of aftershave and antiperspirant and another sweet smell that just seemed to be naturally Danny.

o-o-o-o-o

Danny woke a few hours later, his eyes drifting automatically over to the clock on the nightstand. 12:03 AM. Well, that was nice. He was distracted by the whiff of C.J.'s shampoo as she shifted her head, and he wrapped his arm around her a little tighter. He heard her sigh, and kissed the back of her head. "Hey. You awake?" he whispered.

"Couldn't help it. It's about 9 AM where I was staying," she mumbled back.

"That's okay. We can tire ourselves out some more." He adjusted his body in their spooning position so he could better kiss her shoulder. C.J. laughed, rolling over to face him.

"Hi."

He smiled at her. "Hello."

She looked up at him thoughtfully. "Can I ask you something?"

"Ooh, the tables have turned." He grinned. "You can ask me anything you want, C.J." He treated her to a quick kiss, his lips brushing against her tongue.

She gazed at him for a minute, clearly a little lost in her own world. "Do you ever think about the future?"

He locked into her eye contact, brushing the hair out of her face. "How do you mean?"

She looked almost shy. "You know. Our future." She paused. "I mean, you're happy right?"

"If you have to ask that, I've got some serious work to do." Danny planted a tender kiss on her jawbone as another wave of emotion washed over him. "You make me the happiest man on Earth, C.J."

"I like how you say my name," C.J. murmured. Danny grinned at her, bemused but accustomed by now to her seemingly out-of-the-blue stream-of-consciousness. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. It's hard to make it sound romantic, but you do." Her throaty voice and big eyes were enough to get his heart racing.

"C.J."

"Yeah."

"Why'd you ask me about our future?"

C.J. closed her eyes for a second, her face suddenly showing a trace of anxiety. "Because I love you, nimrod."

"Uh huh. Wanna get more specific?" He traced a finger along her arm.

"No. Shut up." She leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. He gazed at her steadily, and she knew he wasn't going to let it go.

"Something on your mind?" he prompted gently.

C.J. looked flustered. "Ah. I was just thinking. Uhm."

Danny waited patiently, rubbing his thumb across her cheek.

"Okay. I feel like you should know, that if you were to ask me...or, uh." She looked incredibly nervous. "If at some point, if you wanted to talk about a...question you might be...thinking about wanting to ask me..." she took a deep breath. "I probably wouldn't freak out."

"A question." Danny repeated.

"You know what I mean." C.J. was starting to look like she might bolt. Danny squeezed her hand reassuringly, and she relaxed a little. "I mean, I'm not saying you _have_ to ask, or anything. I just thought it was probably something that was important to you, maybe, and I wanted you to know...I'm happy." He hadn't seen her looked this flustered since right before she walked into a door.

He wanted to tease her, to tell her that her proposal was unorthodox but he'd definitely think about it, but he knew he was on tenuous ground here. She was incredibly vulnerable, and she needed to be handled gently. His heart was bursting, though, and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to roll off the bed, grab the little box hidden in the locked security box at the bottom of his dresser holding the ring he'd bought so long ago, and present it to her on the spot. He stopped himself, though. He needed her to be sure, and that meant they had to be able to talk about it.

"Oh, C.J." He put his hand on the back of her neck, lightly inching her closer to him. "You're not wrong. It's something we should talk about."

"Okay," C.J. replied, a little nervously.

"Is marriage something you want someday, C.J.?" He knew there could be no beating-around-the-bush to this discussion.

C.J. rolled onto her back, gazing at the ceiling. After a moment, she spoke. "Yeah," she said softly.

"You sure?" He rolled over so he could get a good look at her face. "It's okay if you're not, Ceej." He touched her cheek gently. "I can't pretend it's not something I want, but I'm laying here because I want to be. I'm not going anywhere."

"No, I'm sure," she murmured. His heart skipped a beat.

"Well. That's useful information," he whispered. She turned to look at him, and he knew the memory of the words had struck her too. He internally berated himself, giving her a gentle smile. "Come here," he murmured, and then she was in his arms again, and he was kissing her with everything he had.


End file.
